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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

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THE ODYSSEY FOR
BOYS AND GIRLS

TOLD FROM HOMER

BY THB

REV. ALFRED J. CHURCH, MJi.
Aomoii or «rrouBa prom hombr"

WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS

Kl&liotk

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

1906

jIU rigitt rturvU

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K€. ij^sTS^

CoprnoHT, 1906,

Bt the macmillan company.

Set op MM cKctiolf pod. Pupi M Ucd Septenberf x9o6i>

N^rw—d Prtu
y. S. CkMHMg9fO.—Birwkk9fSmtha.

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TO MAISIE

AGED riVB

MY FIRST CRITIC

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CONTENTS

I. Thb Cyclops 15

II. Of Tin HoMB op thb Winds and op Circb • 33

III. Of thb Sirbns and othbr Wondbrs • • 49

IV. Of what happbnbd in Ithaca . • • 67
V. How Tblbmachxjs wbnt to look for his

Fathbr 85

VI. How Tblbmachub saw Nestor • • • 97

Vn. How Telemachus came to Sparta . . • iii

VUI. Menblaus's Story 121

IX. How Ulysses came to the Phaeacians • • 131

X. Nausicaa 145

XI. Alcinous 159

XII. Ulysses among the Phaeacians • . .167

XIII. Ithaca 179

XIV. EuMABus 191

XV. Ulysses and his Son 205

XVI. Of the Dog Argus and other Things . •215

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CONTENTS

CSAF.

XVII. Op the Beggar Irus and other Things

XVIII. How Ulysses was made Known

XIX. The Trial op the Bow

XX. The Slaying of the Suitors

XXI. At Last .

XXII. Op Laertes

XXUI. How there was Peace between Ulysses and

HIS People ••••••

rAGB

239

271

281

291

303

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Ultssbs following the Car op Nauucaa
Ulysses giving Wine to the Cyclops
Ulysses at the Table op Circe
The Nymph complaining to the Sun-Goo
Penelope surprised by the Suitors
The Minstrel singing to the Suitors
Nausicaa throwing the Ball •
Ulysses asleep laid on his own Coast
Ulysses discovered by the Nurse
Penelope bringing the Bow of Ulysses
Ulysses slaying the Suitors
The Meeting op Ulysses and Penelope

• •

Frontispiece

. T9 face page

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148

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182

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260

• »*

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272

• 99

284

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CHAPTER I
THE CYCLOPS

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS
AND GIRLS

CHAPTER I

THE CYCLOPS

A GREAT many years ago there was a very
famous siege of a city called Troy. The
eldest son of the king who reigned in this
city carried off the wife of one of the Greek
kings, and with her a great quantity of gold
and silver. She was the most beautiful woman
in the world, and all the princes of Greece
had come to her father's court wishing to
marry her. Her father had made them all
swear, that if any one should steal her away
from the man whom she should choose for
her husband, they would help him to get
her back. This promise they had now to
keep. So they all went to besiege Troy,
each taking a number of his subjects with
him. On the other hand, the Trojans were

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

helped by many of the nations that lived
near them. The siege lasted for a long time,
but in the tenth year the city was taken.
Then the Greeks began to think about going
home. The story that you are now going
to hear is about one of these Greek princes,
Ulysses by name, who was the King of
Ithaca. (This was an island on the west
coast of Greece, and you can find it now
marked on the map.) Ulysses was, accord-
ing to one story, very unwilling to go. He
had married, you see, a very good and beauti-
ful wife, and had a little son. So he pretended
to be mad, and took a plough down to the
sea-shore and began to plough the sand. But
some one took his little son and laid him in
front of the plough. And when Ulysses
stopped lest he should hurt him, people said:
"This man is not really mad." So he had to
go. And this is the story of how, at last, he
came back.

When Troy had been taken, Ulysses and his
men set sail for his home, the Island of Ithaca.
He had twelve ships with him, and fifty men
or thereabouts in each ship. The first place
they came to was a city called Ismarus. This

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THE CYCLOPS

they took and plundered. Ulysses said to his
men: "Let us sail away with what wc
have got." They would not listen to him, but
sat on the sea-shore, and feasted, for they had
found plenty of wine in the city, and many
sheep and oxen in the fields round it. Mean-
while the people who had escaped out of the
city fetched their countrymen who dwelt in
the mountains, and brought an army to fight
with the Greeks. The battle began early in
the morning of the next day, and lasted nearly
till sunset. At first the Greeks had the better
of it, but in the afternoon the people of the
country prevailed, and drove them to their
ships. Very glad were they to get away; but
when they came to count, they found that
they had lost six men out of each ship.

After this a great storm fell upon the ships,
and carried them far to the south, past the
very island to which they were bound. It
was very hard on Ulysses. He was close to
his home, if he could only have stopped; but
he could not, and though he saw it again
soon after, it was ten years before he reached
it, having gone through many adventures in
the meantime.

B 17

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The first of these was in the country of the
Cyclopes or Round-eyed People. Late on a
certain day Ulysses came with his ships to
an island, and found in it a beautiful harbour,
with a stream falling into it, and a flat beach
on which to draw up the ships. That night
he and his men slept by the ships, and the
next day they made a great feast. The island
was full of wild goats. These the men hunted
and killed, using their spears and bows. They
had been on shipboard for many days, and
had had but little food. Now they had
plenty, eight goats to every ship, and nine for
the ship of Ulysses, because he was the chief.
So they ate till they were satisfied, and drank
wine which they had carried away from
Ismarus.

Now there was another island about a mile
away, and they could see that it was larger,
and it seemed as if there might be people
living in it. The island where they were was
not inhabited. So on the second morning
Ulysses said to his men: "Stay here, my
dear friends; I with my own ship and my
own company will go to yonder island, and
find out who dwells there, whether they are

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THE CYCLOPS

good people or no/' So he and his men took
their ship, and rowed over to the other island.
Then Ulysses took twelve men, the bravest
that there were in the ship, and went to
search out the country. He took with him a
goat-skin of wine, very strong and sweet,
which the priest of Apollo at Ismarus had
given him for saving him and his house and
family, when the city was taken. There never
was a more precious wine; one measure of
it could be mixed with twenty measures of
water, and the smell of it was wondrously
sweet. Also he took with him some parched
com, for he felt in his heart that he might
need some food.

After a while they came to a cave which
seemed to be the dwelling of some rich and
skilful shepherd. Inside there were pens for
the young sheep and the young goats, and
baskets full of cheeses, and milk-pans ranged
against the walls. Then Ulysses' men said to
him: '^Lret us go away before the master
comes back. We can take some of the
cheeses, and some of the kids and lambs."
But Ulysses would not listen to them. He
wanted to see what kind of man this shepherd

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might be, and he hoped to get something
from him.

In the evening the Cyclops, the Round-eye,
came home. He was a great giant, with one
big eye in the middle of his forehead, and an
eyebrow above it. He bore on his shoulder
a huge bundle of pine logs for his fire. This
he threw down outside the cave with a great
crash, and drove the flocks inside, and then
closed up the mouth with a big rock so big
that twenty waggons could not carry it. After
this he milked the ewes and the she-goats.
Half the milk he curdled for cheese, and half
he set aside for his own supper. This done,
he threw some logs on the fire, which burnt
up with a great flame, showing the Greeks,
who had fled into the depths of the cave,
when they saw the giant come in.

"Who are you?" said the giant, "traders
or pirates?"

"We are no pirates, mighty sir," said
Ulysses, "but Greeks sailing home from
Troy, where we have been fighting for
Agamemnon, the great king, whose fame is
spread abroad from one end of heaven to
the other. And we beg you to show hos-

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THE CYCLOPS

pitality to VLSy for the gods love them who
are hospitable."

"Nay/* said the giant, "talk not to me
about the gods. We care not for them, for
we are better and stronger than they. But
tell me, where have you left your ship ?'*

But Ulysses saw what he was thinking of
when he asked about the ship, namely, that
he meant to break it up so as to leave them
no hope of getting away. So he said, "Oh,
sir, we have no ship; that which we had
was driven by the wind upon a rock and
broken, and we whom you see here are all
that escaped from the wreck."

The giant said nothing, but without more
ado caught up two of the men, as a man
might catch up two puppies, and dashed
them on the ground, and tore them limb
from limb, and devoured them, with huge
draughts of milk between, leaving not a
morsel, not even the bones. And when he
had filled himself with this horrible food
and with the milk of the flocks, he lay
down among his sheep, and slept.

Then Ulysses thought: "Shall I slay this
monster as he sleeps, for I do not doubt that

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

with my good sword I can pierce him to
the heart. But no; if I do this, then shall
I and my comrades here perish miserably, for
who shall be able to roll away the great rock
that is laid against the mouth of the cave?''

So he waited till the morning, very sad
at heart. And when the giant awoke, he
milked his flocks, and afterwards seized two
of the men, and devoured them as before.
This done, he went forth to the pastures,
his flocks following him, but first he put
the rock on the mouth of the cave, just
as a man shuts down the lid of his quiver.

All day Ulysses thought how he might
save himself and his companions, and the
end of his thinking was this. There was
a great pole in the cave, the trunk of an
olive tree, green wood which the giant was
going to use as a staff for walking when it
should have been dried by the smoke.
Ulysses cut off this a piece some six feet
long, and his companions hardened it in the
fire, and hid it away. In the evening the
giant came back and did as before, seizing
two of the prisoners and devouring them.
When he had finished his meal, Ulysses came

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THE CYCLOPS

to him with the skin of wine in his hand
and said, "Drink, Cyclops, now that you
have supped. Drink this wine, and see what
good things we had in our ship. But no
one will bring the like to you in your
island here if you are so cruel to strangers/'

The Cyclops, took the skin and drank,
and was mightily pleased with the wine.

"Give me more," he said, "and tell me
your name, and I will give you a gift such
as a host should. Truly this is a fine drink,
like, I take it, to that which the gods have
in heaven.'*

Then Ulysses said: "My name is No Man.
And now give me your gift."

And the giant said: "My gift is this:
you shall be eaten last." And as he said
this, he fell back in a drunken sleep.

Then Ulysses said to his companions, "Be
brave, my friends, for the time is come for
us to be delivered from this prison."

So they put the stake into the fire, and
kept it there till it was ready, green as it was,
to burst into flame. Then they thrust it into
his eye, for, as has been told, he had but
one, and Ulysses leant with all his force upon

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

the stake, and turned it about, just as a man
turns a drill about when he would make a
hole in a ship timber. And the wood hissed
in the eye as the red-hot iron hisses in the
water when a smith would temper it to
make a sword.

Then the giant leapt up, and tore away
the stake, and cried out so loudly that the
Round-eyed people in the island came to
see what had happened.

"What ails you," they asked, "that you
make so great an uproar, waking us all out
of our sleep? Is any one stealing your
sheep, or seeking to hurt you?"

And the giant bellowed, "No Man is
hurting me."

"Well," said the Round-eyed people, "if
no man is hurting you, then it must be the
gods that do it, and we cannot help you
against them."

But Ulysses laughed when he thought
how he had beguiled them by his name.
But he was still in doubt how he and his
companions should escape, for the giant sat
in the mouth of the cave, and felt to see
whether the men were trying to get out

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THE CYCLOPS

among the sheep. And Ulysses, after long
thinking, made a plan by which he and his
companions might escape. By great good
luck the giant had driven the rams into the
cave, for he commonly left them outside.
These rams were very big and strong, and
Ulysses took six of the biggest, and tied the
six men that were left out of the twelve
underneath their bellies with osier twigs.
And on each side of the six rams to which
a man was tied, he put another ram. So
he himself was left, for there was no one
who could do the same for him. Yet this
also he managed. There was a very big
ram, much bigger than all the others, and
to this he clung, grasping the fleece with
both his hands. So, when the morning
came, the flocks went out of the cave as
they were wont, and the giant felt them as
they passed by him, and did not perceive
the men. And when he felt the biggest
ram, he said —

"How is this? You are not used to lag
behind; you are always the first to run to
the pasture in the morning and to come
back to the fold at night. Perhaps you

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

are troubled about thy master's eye which
this villain No Man has destroyed. First
he overcame me with wine, and then he
put out my eye. Oh! that you could speak
and tell me where he is. I would dash out
his brains upon the ground." And then he
let the big ram go.

When they were out of the giant's reach,
Ulysses let go his hold of the ram, and loosed
his companions, and they all made as much
haste as they could to get to the place where
they had left their ship, looking back to see
whether the giant was following them. The
crew at the ship were very glad to see them,
but wondered that there should be only six.
Ulysses made signs to them to say nothing,
for he was afraid that the giant might know
where they were if he heard their voices.
So they all got on board and rowed with all
their might. But when they were a hundred
yards from the shore, Ulysses stood up in the
ship and shouted: ''You are an evil beast,
Cyclops, to devour strangers in your cave,
and are rightly served in losing your eye.
May the gods make you suffer worse things
than this!"

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THE CYCLOPS

The Cyclops, when he heard Ulysses speak,
broke off the top of a rock and threw it to
the place from which the voice seemed to
come. The rock fell just in front of the
ship, and the wave which it made washed
it back to the shore. But Ulysses caught
up a long pole and pushed the ship off, and
he nodded with his head, being afraid to
speak, to his companions to row with all
their might. So they rowed; and when
they were twice a^ far off as before, Ulysses
stood up again in the ship, as if he were
going to speak again. And his comrades
begged him to be silent.

"'Do not make the giant angry,'* they said;
"we were almost lost just now when the wave
washed us back to the shore. The monster
throws a mighty bolt, and throws it far."

But Ulysses would not listen, but cried out:
"Hear, Cyclops, if any man ask you who
put out your eye, say that it was Ulysses of
Ithaca."

Then the giant took up another great rock
and threw it. This time it almost touched the
end of the rudder, but missed it by a hand's
breadth. This time, therefore, the wave helped

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

them on. So big was it that it carried the
ship to the other shore.

Now Ulysses had not forgotten to carry
off sheep from the island for his companions.
These he divided among the crews of all the
ships. The great ram he had for his own
share. So that day the whole company
feasted, and they lay down on the sea-shore
and slept.

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CHAPTER 11

OF THE HOME OF THE WINDS AND
OF CIRCE

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

take the rudder, fell asleep. And the crew
of his ship said to each other: "See that great
bag of ox hide. It must have something very
precious inside it — silver and gold and jewels.
Why should the chief have all these good
things to himself?" So they cut the bag
open, and all the winds rushed out and blew
the ship away from Ithaca. Ulysses woke
up at the noise, and at first thought that he
would throw himself into the sea and die.
Then he said to himself, "No! it is better
to live," and he covered his face and lay still,
without saying a word to his men. And the
ships were driven back to the island of the
King of the Winds.

Ulysses went to the king's palace with one
of his companions, and sat down outside the
door. The king came out to see him, and
said, "How is this? Why did you not get
to your home?" Ulysses said, "I fell asleep,
and my men opened the bag. I pray you
to help me again." "Nay," answered the
king, "it is of no use to help the man whom the
gods hate. Go away!"

So Ulysses and his men launched their ships
again and rowed for six days and nights. On

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THE HOME OF THE WINDS

the seventh day they came to a certain city
named Lamos, a country where the night is
as light as the day. Here there was a fine
harbour, with a very narrow mouth, and high
rocks all round it, so that it was always calm.
It seemed so pleasant a place that all the ships
were taken inside by their crews, only Ulysses
thought it safer to keep his ship outside. He
sent two of his men to see the king of the
place. These met a very tall and strong girl
as they went, and asked her the way to the
palace. She told them — and, indeed, she was
the king's daughter. So they knocked at the
door; but when it was opened, and they saw
the queen, they were terribly frightened, for
she was as big as a mountain, and dreadful to
look at. They ran away, but the queen called
to her husband the king, and the king shouted
to the people of the city. They were can-
nibals all of them, and when they saw the
ships they threw great rocks at them and
broke them in pieces; and when the men
tried to swim to shore, they speared them as
if they had been fishes, and devoured them.
So all the ships inside the harbour were de-
stroyed; only the ship of Ulysses was left.

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He cut the cable with his sword, and cried
to his men to row away with all their might,
and so they escaped. But Ulysses had now
only one ship left with its crew out of the twelve
which he had at first.

After a while they came to a strange island,
and drew up their ship upon the beach, and
sat beside it weeping and lamenting, for now
there were but some thirty or so left out of
six hundred. This they did for two days.
On the third day Ulysses took his spear and
sword, and climbed up a hill that was near,
to see what kind of a place they had come
to. From the top of the hill he saw a great
wood, and a smoke rising up out of the midst
of it, showing that there was a house there.
Then he thought to himself: "I will go
back to the ship, and when we have dined,
some of us will go and see who lives in
the island.'' But as he went towards the
shore, he saw a great stag coming down to
a spring to drink, and it crossed the path
almost in front of him. Then he threw his
spear at the beast, and killed it; and he tied
its feet together, and put it on his neck, and
carried it leaning on his spear, for, indeed,

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THE HOME OF THE WINDS

it was a very heavy load for a man to bear.
When he came to the ship, he threw down
the stag on the shore, and the men looked
up, and were glad to see the great beast.
So they feasted on deer's flesh and wine,
and Ulysses put off the searching of the
island till the next day.

In the morning he told them what he had
seen, but the searching of the island did not
please, for they thought of what they had
suffered already. Then Ulysses said: "We
shall divide the crew into two companies; one
shall be mine,, and of the other Eurylochus shall
be chief; and we will cast lots to see who shall
search the island." So they cast lots, and the
lot of Eurylochus came out first. So he
went, and twenty men or so with him, and
in the middle of the wood they found an
open space, and in the space a palace, and
all about it wolves and lions were wander-
ing. The men were very much afraid of
the beasts, but they did them no harm.
Only they got up on their hind legs and
fawned on them, as dogs fawn upon their
master, hoping to get some scraps of food
from him. And they heard the voice of

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

some one who sat inside the palace and
sang as she worked a loom, and a very
sweet voice it was. Then said one of the
men: ''Let us call to this singer, and see
whether she is a woman or a goddess/' So
they called, and a certain Circe, who was
said to be a daughter of the Sun, came out,
and asked them to go in. This they did,
and also they drank out of a cup which she
gave them. A cup of wine it seemed to
be, mixed with barley-meal and honey, but
she had put in it some strange drug, which
makes a man forget all that he loves. And
when they had drunk, lo! they were turned
into pigs. They had snouts and bristles, and
they grunted like pigs, but they had the
hearts of men. And Circe shut them in sties,
and gave them acorns and beech-mast to eat.

But Eurylochus had stayed outside when
the others went in, and he ran back to the
ship and told Ulysses what had happened.
Then Ulysses armed himself, and said: "I
will go and save these men,** Nor would
he listen when the others begged him not
to go. "Thou wilt not do them any good,"
they said, "but wilt perish thyself." "Nay,"

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THE HOME OF THE WINDS

he answered; ''stay here if you will, and eat
and drink; but I must go and rescue my
men, for I am their chief."

So he went; and when he came near to
the house, he saw a very beautiful youth,
who had a golden stick in his hand. The
youth said: ''Ulysses, art thou come to
rescue thy comrades? That thou canst not
do. Thou wilt rather perish thyself. But
stay; you are one that fears the gods, there-
fore they will help you. I will give you
such a drug as shall make all Circe's drugs
of no power. Drink the cup that she gives
you, but first put into it this drug." So he
showed Ulysses a certain herb which had a
black root and a flower as white as milk.
It was called Moly.

So Ulysses took the herb moly in his hand,
and went and stood in the porch of Circe's
palace, and called to her. And when Circe
heard him she opened the door, and said,
"Come in." Then he went in, and she made
him sit on a great chair of carved oak, and
gave him wine to drink in a gold cup. But
she had mixed a deadly drug in the wine. So
Ulysses took up the cup and drank, but before

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he drank he put the moly into it. Then
Circe struck him with her wand, and said,
"Go now to the sty, and lie there with thy
fellows/* But Ulysses drew his sword, and
rushed at her, as if he would have killed her.
She caught him by the knees and prayed him
not to hurt her. And she said: "How is this,
that my drugs do thee no harm? I did not
think that there was any man on earth who
could do so. Surely thou must be Ulysses,
for Hermes told me that he would come to
this island when he was on his way back to
his home from Troy. Come now, let us be
friends.** But Ulysses said: "How can we
be friends when thou hast turned my com-
panions into swine? And now I am afraid
that thou wilt do me some great harm if
thou canst take me unawares. Swear to me
then, by a great oath, that thou wilt not hurt
me." So Circe sware.

Then her handmaids, very lovely women
born in the springs and streams and woods,
prepared a feast. One set purple rugs on the
chairs, and another set silver tables by the
chairs, and others put on the tables baskets of
gold. Also they made ready a bath of hot

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THE HOME OF THE WINDS

water for Ulysses, and put some wonderful
thing into the water, so that when he had
bathed he did not feel tired any more. Then
one of the women, who was the housekeeper,
and whom they all obeyed, brought Ulysses
some very fine wheaten bread, and set many
dainty dishes on the tables. Then Circe
said: "Eat and drink, Ulysses.** But he sat
and ate and drank nothing. "How is this?''
she said. "Dost thou think that I will harm
thee? Did I not swear a great oath that I
would not?" And Ulysses said: "How can
I eat and drink when my companions have
been changed into brute beasts?"

Then Circe arose from her chair, and took
her wand in her hand, and went to the sties
where she had put the men that had been
turned into swine. And she opened the doors
of the sties, and rubbed a wonderful drug on
each beast as he came out. And, lot in a
moment the bristles fell from their bodies,
and they became men again, only they looked
to be younger and more handsome than they
were before. And when they saw their chief,
they clung to him, weeping for joy. Even
Circe herself felt a little pity.

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After this they all went into the palace,
and ate and drank. And when they had
finished their meal, Circe said to Ulysses:
"Go now to thy ship, and put away all the
goods that are in it and all the tackle in the
caves that are on the sea-shore, and then
come back here, and bring the rest of your
comrades with you."

So Ulysses went. And when his com-
panions saw him, they were very glad, for
they had thought that he was lost. They
were as glad as calves which have been penned
in the yard all day when their mothers come
back from the fields in the evening. But
when Ulysses said to them: "Come back
with me to the great house in the wood,"
Eurylochus said to them, "Don't go, my
friends; if you do, you will be turned into
lions or bears or pigs, and will be kept shut up
for the rest of your lives. This foolhardy
Ulysses is always leading us into trouble.
Was it not he who took us to the cave of
the Cyclops?" Ulysses was very angry when
he heard this, and was ready to kill the man.
But the others stopped him from doing it.
"We will go with you," they said, "and if

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THE HOME OF THE WINDS

this man is afraid, let him stay by the ship."
So they went with Ulysses, and Eurylochus
himself, when he saw them go, went with
them.

For a whole year Ulysses and his com-
panions stayed with Circe. She feasted them
royally, and they were well content to be her
guests. But at the end of the year the men
said to their chief: ''Should we not be think-
ing of going home?" And he knew that
they were right. So he said to Circe: "It
is time for us to go home. Pray do what
you can to help us on our way." Circe
said: "I would not keep a guest against his
will."

So they made their ship ready, and Circe
and her handmaids brought down to the
shore flesh and bread and wine in plenty,
and they stored them away as provision for
their voyage, and then they departed. But
first Circe told Ulysses what things would
happen to them by the way, and what he
and his companions ought to do, and what
they ought to avoid, if they wished to get
safely home.

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CHAPTER III

OF THE SIRENS AND OTHER
WONDERS

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CHAPTER III
OF THE SIRENS AND OTHER WONDERS

The first place they came to was the Island
of the Sirens. The Sirens were women of
the sea, such as mermaids are, who sang so
sweetly, and with such lovely voices, that no
one who heard them could pass on his way,
but was forced to go to them. But when he
came near the Sirens flew upon him and tore
him to pieces, and devoured him. So they
sat there on their island, with the bones of
dead men all round them, and sang. Now
Circe had warned Ulysses about these dreadful
creatures, and told him what he ought to do.
So he closed the ears of his companions with
wax so tightly that they could hear nothing.
As for himself, he made his men tie him with
ropes to the mast of the ship. "And see,*'
he said, "that you don't loose me, however
much I may beg and pray." As soon as the
ship came near to the island the wind ceased
D 49

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

to blow, and there was a great calm, and the
men took down the sails, and put out their
oars, and began to row. Then the Sirens saw
the ship, and began to sing. And Ulysses,
where he stood bound to the mast, heard
them. And when he understood what they
said he forgot all his prudence, for they prom-
ised just the thing that he wanted. For
he was a man who never could know enough,
he thought, about other countries and the
people who dwelt in them, what they think
and how they spend their days. And the
Sirens said that they could tell him all this.
Then he made signs with his head to his
men, for his hands and feet were bound, that
they should loose him. But they remem-
bered what he had told them, and rowed on.
And two of them even put new bonds upon
him lest he should break the old ones. So
they got safely past the Island of the Sirens.
And now Ulysses had to choose between
two ways. One of them was through the
Wandering Rocks. Circe had told him of
these; that they were rocks which floated
about in the sea, and that when any ship
came near them they moved very fast

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THE SIRENS

through the water, and caught the ship
between them and broke it up. So fast did
they move that they caught even the birds
as they flew. And Circe told him that only
one ship had ever escaped them, and that
this was the ArgOj when the heroes went in
it to fetch back the Golden Fleece. "This,"
said Circe, "was by the special favour of
the gods, and because there were many
children of the gods among the crew.'' So
Ulysses thought it better not to try that
way, though the other way was dreadful
also.

After a while they saw what looked like
smoke going up from the sea, and heard a
great roar of the waves dashing upon the
rocks, for they were coming near to another
dangerous place which Circe had warned
them about. This was a narrow place be-
tween the mainland and an island. On the
one side there was a cave, in which there
dwelt a terrible monster, Scylla by name,
and on the other side there was a dreadful
whirlpool. If a ship ever got into that, it
was sucked down to the bottom of the sea
and never came up again. Now, Circe had

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told Ulysses all about this place, and had
told him what he should do. "It will be
better/' she had said, "to go near Scylla
than to go near Charybdis; one or other
of these two thou must do, for there is no
room in the middle* It is true that Scylla
will pounce down upon your ship when it
comes within her reach, and will take out
of it six men, one for each of the six heads
which she has. But if you go too near to
Charybdis then will your whole ship be
swallowed up; and it is better to lose six
men than that all should be drowned." And
when Ulysses had said, "May I not take
shield and spear and fight with this monster?"
Circe had answered, "Thou art wonderfully
bold; thou wouldst fight with the gods
themselves. But be sure that thou canst
not fight with Scylla; she is too strong for
any man. And while you linger she will
take six other men. No: fly from the place
as fast as you can." So had Circe spoken
to Ulysses, and he remembered what she
had said; but he did not tell it to his
companions, lest they should lose heart.
So now he bade the steersman steer the

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THE SIRENS

ship as near as he could to that side of the
strait on which was Scylla's cave. Never-
theless, they went very close to the whirl-
pool And a wonderful sight it was, for at
one time you could see to the very bottom
of the sea, and at another the water seemed
to boil up almost to the top of the cliffs.
Now, Ulysses had said nothing to his men
about the monster on the other side, for he
was afraid that if they knew about her they
would not go on with their voyage. So
they all stood and watched the whirlpool,
and while they were doing this there came
down upon the ship Scylla's dreadful hands,
and caught up six of the crew, the bravest
and strongest of them all. Ulysses heard
them cry to him to help them, but he could
do nothing to help them. And this, he used
to say afterwards, was the very saddest thing
that happened to him in all his troubles.

After this the ship came to the Island of
the Three Capes, which is now called Sicily.
And while they were still a long way off,
Ulysses heard the bleating of sheep and the
lowing of cattle. As soon as he heard these
sounds he remembered what Circe had told

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him about the last of the dangers which he
and his companions would meet on their way
home. What Circe had said was this: ^^You
will come, last of all, to a beautiful island,
where the Sun keeps his herds and flocks.
There are seven herds of cattle and fifty in
each, and seven flocks of sheep of fifty also;
and each has a nymph to look after it.
Now, I advise you to sail by this island
without landing. If you do, you will get
safe home; but if you land, perhaps your
men will kill some of the Sun's cattle and
sheep for food. And if they do this, some-
thing dreadful is sure to happen to them."
So Ulysses said to his men: '^ Listen to me.
Circe told me that this island was a very
dangerous place, and that we had better sail
by it without landing, and that if we did
we should get safe home. Think, now,
how many of our companions have been lost,
and that we only remain. Take my advice,
I pray you, for some of us at least will
be saved." But Eurylochus said: "Truly,
Ulysses, you seem to be made of iron, for
you are never tired, and now you would
have us pass by this beautiful island without

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THE SIRENS

landing, though we have been working for
days and nights without rest. And, besides,
it is not safe to sail at night. Perhaps some
storm will fall upon us, or a strong wind
will spring up from the south or west, as it
often does in these parts, and break our ship
to pieces. No; let us stay for the night,
and sleep on land, and to-morrow we will sail
again on the sea till we get to our home.''
And all the others agreed with what he said.
Then Ulysses knew that he was going to
suffer some terrible thing. And he said:
^^You are many and I am one; so I cannot
stop you from doing what you will. But
swear all of you an oath, that if you find
here any flock of sheep or herd of cattle, you
will not touch them; no, however hungry
you may be, but that you will be content
with the food that Circe gave us.^

So they all swore an oath that they would
not touch sheep or cattle. Then they
moored the ship in a creek, where there
were little streams falling into the sea. And
they took their meal upon the shore. After
the meal they mourned for their companions
whom Scylla had carried off from the

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ship, and when they had done this, they
slept.

The next morning Ulysses told them again
that they must not touch the sheep or cattle,
but must be content with the food that they
had. And he told them also the reason:
"These creatures," he said, "belong to the
Sun, and the Sun is a mighty god, and he
sees everything that men do over all the
earth/'

But now the wind blew from the south
for a whole month, day after day, except
some days when it blew from the east. Now,
neither the south wind nor the east wind
was good for their voyage, so that they
could not help staying on the island. As
long as any of the food that Circe had given
them remained, they were content. And
when this was eaten up they wandered about
the island, searching for food. They snared
birds and caught fishes, but they never had
enough, and their hunger was very hard to
bear. And Ulysses prayed to the gods that
they would help him, but it seemed that they
took no heed of him.

At last Eurylochus said to his companions:

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THE SIRENS

''Listen, my friends, to me, for we are all
in a very evil case. Death is a dreadful
thing, but nothing is so dreadful as to die
of hunger, and this we are likely to do. Let
us take some of these oxen and make a sacri-
fice to the gods, and when we have given
them their portion we will eat the rest our-
selves. And after the sacrifice we will pray
to them that they will send us a favourable
wind. Also we will promise to build a
great and fair temple to the Sun when we
get to our home. And if the Sun is angry
on account of the oxen, and is minded to
sink our ship, let it be so; it is better to
be drowned than to die of hunger.''

To this they all agreed; and Euryl5chus
drove some of the fattest of the kine down
to the shore, and the men killed them, and
made sacrifice according to custom. They
had no meal to sprinkle over the flesh, so
they used leaves instead; and they had no
wine, so they used water. And when they
had done this, and were now beginning their
feast, Ulysses, who had been asleep, awoke,
and he smelt the smell of roast flesh, and
knew that his companions had broken their

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oath, and had killed some of the beasts of
the Sun.

In the meantime, two of the nymphs that
kept the cattle had flown up to the sky,
and had told the Sun what had been done.
And when the Sun heard it, he was very
angry, and said to the other gods: "See
now what these wicked companions of
Ulysses have done. They have killed the
cattle which it is my delight to see, both
when I climb up the sky and when I come
down from it. Now, if they are not punished
for this evil deed, I will not shine any more
upon the earth, but will give my light to
the place of darkness that is underneath it."
And the king of the gods answered, "Shine,
O Sun, upon the earth as thou art wont to .
do. I will break the ship of these sinners
with my thunderbolt while they are sailing
on the sea."

Ulysses was very angry with his com-
panions, and rebuked them for their folly,
and because they had broken their oath. But
he could not undo what had been done, for
the kine were dead. And the men were
greatly frightened by what they saw and

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THE SIRENS

heard; for the skins of the cattle that had
been killed crept along the ground, and the
flesh bellowed on the spits as if the beasts
had been still alive. Nevertheless they did
not leave off feasting on them. For six days
they feasted, and on the seventh day they
set sail.

For a time all seemed to go well, for the
wind blew as they desired. But when they
were now out of sight of land, suddenly all
the sky was covered with a dark cloud, and
a great wind came down upon the ship, and
snapped the shrouds on either side of the
mast. Then the mast fell backwards and
broke the skull of the man that held the
rudder and steered the ship, so that he fell
into the sea. Next there came down a great
thunderbolt from the sky, and the ship was
filled with fire and smoke from one end of
it to the other. And all the men were
blown out of the ship, some on one side and
some on the other. Only Ulysses was left.
He stayed on the ship till the ribs were
broken away from the keel by the waves.
And when only the mast and the keel were
left together, Ulysses bound himself by a

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thong of leather to them, and sat on them^
and was driven by the wind over the waves.
All night long was he driven, and when the
day dawned he came to the passage where
there was Scylla's cave on one side and the
great whirlpool on the other. Now, there
was a fig-tree that grew at the top of the
cliff that was above the whirlpool. Circe
had told Ulysses of this same tree, for she
knew all things, and Ulysses remembered her
words; and when the keel and the mast
were carried up to the top, he caught hold
of the branches. But he found that he
could not climb any higher, so he waited
till the keel and the mast should come again,
for they had been swallowed up. For four
hours or so he waited, and when he saw them
again, he loosed his hold on the fig-tree,
and caught hold of them, and sat upon them
as he had done before. Now after the water
had risen to the top, there was calm for a
little time before it began to sink again, and
Ulysses paddled with his hands as hard as
he could, and so got away. By good luck
Scylla did not see him, for if she had, he
would most certainly have perished.

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THE SIRENS

For eight days and nights Ulysses was
carried by the winds and waves over the sea,
and on the ninth day he came to a beautiful
island where there dwelt a] goddess, by name
Calypso. There he lived for seven long
years. Long they seemed, for though he
had all that a man could wish for, yet he
would gladly have gone home. "Oh!" he
would say to himself, *'if I could but see
the smoke rising up from the chimneys of
my own home!'' But the island was far
away in the midst of the sea, and no ship
came near to it. So he could do nothing
but wait.

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CHAPTER IV
OF WHAT HAPPENED IN ITHACA

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CHAPTER IV

OF WHAT HAPPENED IN ITHACA

Now wc must leave Ulysses in the island of
Calypso, and see what was going on at his
home in Ithaca. You have been already told
that before he went to Troy he had married a
wife, Penelope by name, and had a son who
was called Telemachus. When this son was
still only a baby, Ulysses had to go to Troy
with the other chiefs of the Greeks to fight
with the Trojans. And now nearly twenty
years had passed, and he had not come
home: and no one knew what had become
of him. What had happened to the other
chiefs every one knew. Some had died dur-
ing the siege, and others had perished on the
way home, and the leader of them all had
come back and been wickedly killed by his
wife, and another had had to fly from his
home and build a city in a distant country,
and others had got back safely, sooner or

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later; but Ulysses was still absent, and, as
has been said, no one knew where he was,
or whether he was alive or dead. But it
seemed most likely that he was dead. It is
no wonder, then, that many of the young
men among the nobles of Ithaca, and of the
islands round about, came and tried to persuade
his wife Penelope to marry again. "It is
of no use," they said, "for you to wait any
longer for your husband. By this time he
must be dead. And you ought to have
some one to look after your property and
your kingdom, for your son is too young to
do this properly."

Now Penelope believed in her heart that
her husband was alive, and that he would
come back; but she knew that hardly any
one else believed it. And she felt very
helpless. The people of Ithaca thought that
she ought to marry again. They were very
badly governed when there was no king.
Even if the man whom she chose — for, of
course, her husband would be king — was not
very good, this would be better than to have
a whole crowd of men coming day after
day to the palace, eating and drinking and

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WHAT HAPPENED IN ITHACA

gambling, and wasting the king's goods. So
she tried to gain time. She thought to
herself: "If I can put off these people" —
suitors they were called — "for a while,
perhaps my husband will come back in the
meanwhile." So she said to them: "You
know that my husband's father is an old
man, and that it would be a great disgrace
to me if he were to die and there were no
proper grave clothes to bury him in; for
you know that he has been a king, and
should be buried with honour. Let me
weave a shroud for him, and when this is
finished, then I will choose one from among
you to be my husband." The Suitors were
glad to hear this, for they said to themselves:
"This weaving cannot take a very long time;
and when it is finished, then one of us, at
least, will get what he wants." So they
waited, but somehow the weaving was not
finished. The truth was that the queen
undid every night what she had done in the
day. How long this would have gone on
no one knows, but at last one of the women
that waited on the queen told the secret to
a friend of hers among the Suitors. That

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night three or four of them were taken by
the woman to the queen's own room, and
found her undoing what she had done in
the day. So the queen could not put the
Suitors oflF any longer in this way; the shroud
was finished, and she did not know what
to do.

Now there was one among the gods and
goddesses who more than all the others
cared for Ulysses. This was Athene, the
goddess of Wisdom, and she loved Ulysses
because he was so wise. And Athene
thought to herself: "Now there are two
things to be done: we must bring Ulysses
back to his home; he has been away for
twenty years, and that is enough, and too
much. And we must not let Telemachus,
his son, sit still any longer and do nothing,
as if he did not care at all what has hap-
pened to his father, and whether he is alive
or dead. It would be a bad thing if Ulysses
were to come home and find out that Tele-
machus had never taken any pains to look
for him or ask about him. For Telemachus
is now a young man, and able to think and
act." And Athene, being wise, saw that

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WHAT HAPPENED IN ITHACA

this was the first thing to do, for nothing
could be worse than that, for any reason,
father and son should not be good friends.
And the way in which she stirred up Tele-
machus was this.

One day he sat among the Suitors, who
were feasting and playing draughts in his
father's house. Every day did they come
thither, and they made a sad waste of the
things which belonged to Ulysses. The
sheep and oxen and swine were killed for
their meat, and they drank the wines from
his cellars. And Telemachus could do no-
thing, for he was but one against many.
As he sat very sad at heart, there came a
stranger to the door. Now this stranger was
Athene, who had come down to the earth
and taken a man's shape. When Telemachus
saw him, he got up from his place and
brought him in, and commanded his servants
to set food and drink before him.

When he had ended his meal, Telemachus
asked him his business. The stranger said:
"I am Mentes; I am king of the Taphians,
and I am on my way to Cyprus* with a

* The word " Cyprus " means copper.

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

cargo of iron, which I am going to exchange
for copper. And I have come wishing to
see your father, for I knew him and his
father also. But now they tell me that he
is not here. Something has hindered him
from coming home, for I am sure that he
is alive. But who are these? what are they
doing here? Is this a wedding feast? A
wise man would not like to see such doings
in his house.'*

And Telemachus answered: "Oh, sir, while
my father was yet alive, this house was rich
and prosperous. But now that he is gone,
things go very ill with me. It had been
far better if he had fallen in battle fighting
against the Trojans, but now the sea has
swallowed him up. And these men are
the princes of Ithaca and of the islands
round about, and they come, they say,
seeking my mother in marriage. She will
neither say Yes nor No to them. Mean-
while they sit and waste my substance.'*

Then said Mentes: "It is indeed time
that Ulysses should come back and put an
end to such doings. But it is time also
that you should do something for your-

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WHAT HAPPENED IN ITHACA

self. Now listen to me. First call the
people of Ithaca to an Assembly. It is well
to have the people on your side. Then
bid the Suitors depart, each man to his
house. And if your mother be minded to
take another husband, let her go back to
her father's house, and let her own people
make ready a wedding feast and other things
such as a daughter should have. When
these things are done, make ready a ship
with twenty oars, and go inquire after your
father; perhaps some man may have seen
him or heard of him; perhaps the gods
themselves will give you an answer if you
ask them. Go first to Pylos, where the
old man Nestor lives. After that go to
Sparta, and see King Menelaus, for he was
the last of all the Greeks to get back to
his home. And if you should find out
that your father is dead, then raise a mound
for him, and give him such honours as are
due to the dead. And if these Suitors still
trouble you, then devise some way of slay-
ing them. It is time for you to behave
yourself as a man."
Telemachus said: ''You speak to me as

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a father might speak to his son^ nor will
I ever forget what you have said. But
come now, stay awhile^ that I may give
you some goodly gift such as a friend
should give to a friend/'

"Nay," said Mentes, "I cannot stay.
Keep your gift, I pray you, till I come
again."

So he rose from his seat, and went out at
the door. And lol of a sudden he seemed
to change his shape. It was as if he were
changed into a sea-eagle. And Telemachus
knew that this stranger was not Mentes,
but the goddess Athene. And he went
back to the hall of the palace, where a min-
strel, Phemius by name, was telling the tale
of how the Greeks came back from Troy,
and of the many things which they suffered
because they had sinned against the gods.
And lol in the midst of his telling, Pene-
lope came down from the upper chamber
where she sat, having two handmaids
with her. She stood in the door of the
hall, having drawn her veil over her face,
and said to the minstrel: ''Phemius, you
know many tales about the deeds of gods

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WHAT HAPPENED IN ITHACA

and men. Tell one of these^ and let the
guests hear it while they drink their wine*
But tell this tale no more^ for it breaks my
heart to hear it. Surely I am the most
unhappy of women, for of all the chiefs
that went to Troy, and never came back
to their homes, my husband was the most
famous.''

Then said Telemachus: "Mother, why
do you forbid the minstrel to make us glad
in the way that he thinks best? Why do
you forbid him to sing of the coming back
of the Greeks? *Tis a new tale, and men
always like to hear that which is new.
Go back, then, to your chamber, and mind
the business of the house, and see that your
maids do their work, their spinning and the
like. But here I am master."

And Penelope went back to her chamber
without answering a word, for never had
Telemachus spoken in such a way before.
But she wept for Ulysses her husband, till
sleep came down upon her eyes.

And when she was gone, Telemachus
said to the Suitors: "Let us now feast and
be merry, and let there be no quarrelling

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

among us. And let us listen to the min-
strel's tale. What could we do better, for
his voice is as the voice of a god. But
mark this. To-morrow we will have an
Assembly of the people, and there I will
declare my purpose. And my purpose is
this — that you go away from this place,
and eat and drink in your own homes at
your own cost."

And they were astonished at his boldness,
just as his mother had been astonished, for
he had never so spoken before. And one
of them, whose name was Antinoiis, said:
'' Surely it is some god that makes you speak
so boldly. I hope that you will never be
king here in Ithaca, though it is but right
that you should have that which belonged
to your father.''

Telemachus said: "I know that it is a
good thing to be a king, for a king has
riches and honour. But there are many
here in Ithaca, young men and old, who
may have the kingdom now that Ulysses is
dead. Only this I know, that I will be
master in my own house."

Then stood up another of the Suitors, and

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WHAT HAPPENED IN ITHACA

said: ''It is for the gods to settle who shall
be king in Ithaca; but that you ought to be
master in your own house, and keep your
own goods, no man will deny. But tell me,
who was this stranger that came just now to
the palace? Did he bring news of your
father, or did he come on business of his
own? Why did he not stay to greet us?
He was no common man, I take it."

Telemachus answered: "As for tidings of
my father, I do not make any count of them,
whoever it is that brings them; Ulysses will
come back no more. And as for the sooth*
sayers whom my mother loves to entertain,
that find out for her what has befallen her
husband, I think nothing of them. They
are makers of lies. As for this stranger
about whom you ask: he was Mentes, king
of the Taphians.'^ So he said, but he knew
in his heart that the stranger was Athene.

Then the Suitors feasted, and made merry
with singing and dancing, till the night was
far spent; and they went each man to his
own home to sleep. But Telemachus went
to his chamber, and Eurycleia, who had
been his nurse when he was but a baby, led
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the way, holding a torch in either hand, to
light him. And when he came to the
chamber, he took off his doublet and gave it
to the nurse, and she folded it and smoothed
it, and hung it on a pin. This done, she
went out and pushed to the door and made
it fast. But Telemachus lay long awake,
thinking of the journey which he was about
to take.

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CHAPTER V

HOW TELEMACHUS WENT TO LOOK
FOR HIS FATHER

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CHAPTER V

HOW TELEMACHUS WENT TO LOOK FOR
HIS FATHER

The next day, as soon as it was light, Tele-
machus sent the officers to call the people to
the Assembly. And when the people heard
the call, they came quickly, for such a thing
had not happened now for many years. And,
when they were all gathered together, Tele-
machus himself went, holding a spear in his
hand, and with two dogs at his heels. And
when he sat down in his father's place all
who were there wondered to see him, for he
looked not like a boy but like a man.

The first that stood up in the Assembly was
a certain old man, Aegyptus by name — very
old he was, so that he was almost bent double,
and he was very wise. He had four sons, but
one was dead, for he had gone with Ulysses to
Troy, and had died, with the rest of Ulysses*
companions, on his way back, as has been
told. Another son was one of the Suitors;

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and two were with their father, working on
the farm. Aegyptus said: ''Listen to me,
men of Ithaca! who has called us together
to-day? Is it Telemachus who has done
this? If it is he, what does he want? Has
he heard anything of his father, and of the
men who went with him to fight against
Troy?"

Then Telemachus stood up in his place and
said: ''Men of Ithaca, I am in great trouble.
First, I fear that my father is dead, and you,
who all loved him, feel for me. And then
there have come men from all the islands
round about, making suit to my mother, and
while they wait they devour my substance.
But my mother will not listen to any one of
them, for she still believes that her husband
will come back. Yes; they waste all that
I have, and I cannot hinder them from
doing it."

And he dashed his spear on the ground,
and sat down weeping. Then one of the
Suitors, Antinoiis by name, stood up and
said: "Telemachus, do not blame us, but
blame your mother. Surely there never was
so crafty a woman." And he told the people

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TELEMACHUS' QUEST

the story of the web, how she wove it by
day and unwove it by night. "Do not let
her put us off any longer. Make her choose
one of us and marry him. But till you do
this, we will not leave your house."

Then said TelemSchus: "How could I do
this to my own mother? It would be against
my duty as a son. And besides, I should
have to pay a great sum of money to her
father, all the dowry that she brought with
her. No; I cannot do this thing."

And when he had ended his speech there
happened a strange thing. Two eagles were
seen high up in the air, which flew along till
they came to the place where the Assembly
was. Then they fought together, and tore
from each other many feathers^

Then said a certain man who knew what
such things meant: "Beware, ye Suitors;
great trouble is coming to you and to others.
As for Ulysses, he said that he should come
back to Ithaca in the twentieth year after
his going, and that, I verily believe, he
will do."

Then TelemSchus spake again: "Give me
a ship with twenty rowers, and I will go to

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the mainland, to certain kings who went to
Troy with my father, as Nestor and Mene-
laiis. And if I hear that he is dead, I will
come back, and make a great mound for him
that will keep his name in remembrance, and
I will also make my mother choose another
husband/'

Then stood up one Mentor, whom Ulysses
had made steward of his house when he went
away, and said: ''I am ashamed of this people
of Ithaca. There is not one of them who
remembers Ulysses, and yet he was as gentle
as a father with them. Let no king hence-
forth be gentle and kind. Let him rather
be a hard man and unrighteous, for then his
people will remember him. See, now, these
Suitors, how they are bent on doing evil.
Well, I will not hinder them. They will
have to suffer for what they do. But the
people I blame. See, now, how they sit
without saying a word, when they ought to
cry shame upon the Suitors; and yet they
are many in number and the Suitors are
few.''

Then stood up one of the Suitors, and said :
"Surely, Mentor, your wits are wandering,

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TELEMACHUS' QUEST

when you bid the people put us down by
force. They could not do it. And if Ulysses
himself came back, he could not do it. He
would come to a bad end if he fought with
us, for we are many in number. And as for
the ship and the twenty rowers that Tele-
mSchus asks for, let Mentor find them for
him. As for me, I do not think that he
will be able to do it."

Then the Assembly was dismissed. And
Telemachus went down to the sea-shore;
and after he had washed his hands in the
sea, he prayed to Athene, saying: "Hear
me, O goddess, thou didst bid me yesterday
take a ship and rowers and ask about my
father — yes, it was thou, though it seemed as
if King Mentes was speaking to me — but
the Suitors hinder me, and the people will
not help. I pray thee, therefore, to put it
into my heart what I should do."

And while he was yet speaking, Athene
stood before him, and she had taken the
shape of Mentor the steward. She said:
"Be brave; you have spirit and wit; and
are, I take it, a true son of your father and
mother. Go now on this journey, for I

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trust that it will turn out to your profit.
As for the Suitors, take no thought about
them; they speak folly, and do not know
the doom that is coming upon them. Make
ready provisions for a journey, wine and
meat; meanwhile I will collect men who will
offer of their own free will to go with you,
and I will also find a ship, the best in all
Ithaca."

So Telemachus went back to the palace,
and he found the Suitors flaying goats
and singeing swine for their dinner. And
Antinoiis caught him by the hand, and said:
'Xome now, Telemachus; eat and drink
with us, and we will find a ship and rowers
for you, that you may be able to go whither
you will, and ask after your father." But
Telemachus said: ^^Do you think that I will
eat and drink with you, who are wasting my
substance in this shameful fashion? Be sure
that I will have my revenge on you. And
if you will not let me have a ship of my
own, then I will sail in another man's."
And another of the Suitors said: *'What
now will TelemSchus do? Will he get men
from Pylos, where old Nestor lives, or from

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TELEMACHUS' QUEST

Sparta, where King Menelaiis is, to fight
against us? Or, maybe, he will put poison
in our wine, and so destroy us/'

And another said: ''What if he should
perish himself as his father has perished?
It would be a great business dividing his
property. As for his house, we would give
it to his mother and the man whom she
may choose for her husband?''

So they made sport of him. But he went
to the store-room of the palace, where there
were laid up casks of old wine, and olive
oil, and clothing, and plates of gold and
silver and copper. All these things were
in the charge of his nurse Eurycleia.
Telemachus said to her: "Look out for me
twelve jars of wine, not the best, but the
second best, and twenty measures of barley
meal. I will come for them to-night when
my mother is asleep, for I am going to
Pylos and to Sparta, to see whether I can
hear anything about my father."

But the old woman cried out: "Oh, my
son, why will you travel abroad, you an
only son? Your father has perished; will
you perish also? These wicked men, the

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Suitors, will plot against you and kill you.
Surely it would be better to sit quietly at
home."

TelemSchus said: "Mother, I must go,
for it is the gods that bid me. Swear now
that you will say nothing to my mother
about it for ten or twelve days, unless,
indeed, she should ask you about me: then
you must say for what I am gone."

So the old woman sware that she would
say nothing. And Telemachus went among
the Suitors, and behaved as if he had nothing
on his mind. Meanwhile Athene, in Mentor's
shape, had got a crew of sailors together,
persuading them to go as no man could
have persuaded them. And she borrowed a
ship, for no man could refuse to lend her
what she asked for. And lest the Suitors
should come to know of what was going on,
she caused a deep sleep to fall upon them.
They slept each man in his chair. And then
she came to the palace, and she still had the
shape of Mentor, and called Telemachus out,
saying to him, "The rowers are ready: let
us go."

So the two went down to the shore, and

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found the ship, and the ship's crew ready
to go on board. And TelemSchus said:
"Come now, my friends, to my room at the
palace, for there I have stored away the
meat and the drink that we want for the voy-
age. One woman only knows about the mat-
ter; not my mother, nor any of her maids,
but only my old nurse/'

So they went up to the palace, and
carried all the provisions themselves to the
shore, and stowed it away in the ship. And
TelemSchus went on board, and sat down
on the stem, and Mentor, that was really
Athene, sat down by him. And he told the
sailors to make ready to start.

First, they pushed off the ship from the
shore. Then they raised the mast, which
was made of a pine tree, and lay along the
deck in a kind of crutch that was made
for it. A hole was ready in which to put
the end. So the men raised it, and made
it fast with ropes on both sides. And they
hauled up the sail with ropes made of ox
hide. And the wind filled the sail, and the
ship went quickly through the water, the
sea bubbling and foaming about it as it

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went, and Telemachus poured wine out of
a bowl, praying to the god of the sea, and
to 2^us that he might have a prosperous
voyage. So all the night the ship sped along
till the dawn began to show in the east.

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CHAPTER VI
HOW TELEMACHUS SAW NESTOR

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CHAPTER VI
HOW TELEMACHUS SAW NESTOR

At sunrise the ship came to Pylos, which
was on the west coast of the Island of
Pelops. Here Nestor was king. He was
the oldest man in the world. He had
ruled over three generations of men, that
is, for ninety years and more, and he was
still hearty and strong. Now it so hap-
pened that on this day the people were
offering a sacrifice to the god of the sea,
whose name was Poseidon. There were
nine companies of men, and in each there
were five hundred, and each five hundred
sacrificed nine bulls. They had finished
the sacrifice, and were beginning the feast,
for there was always a feast after the sac-
rifice, when Telemachus and his men moored
the ship on the shore and landed. Then
said Athene to the young man: "Go, and
speak to the old King Nestor. There is
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no need for you to be ashamed. You have
come to get news of your father, if such
can be got. Go boldly, therefore, and ask
him if he can tell you anything."

But TelemSchus said: ^'How can I speak
to him, for I am young and ignorant?"

"Nay," said the goddess, "think of some-
thing yourself, and the gods will put what
may be wanting into your mouth."

So she led the way, being, as before, in
the shape of Mentor, to where Nestor sat
with his sons and a great company about
him, ready to begin the feast. And when
the men of Pylos saw the strangers they
shook their hands, and made them sit down
on soft fleeces of wool that had been laid
down on the shore for seats. And Nestor's
youngest son brought them some of the
best of the flesh, and wine in a golden cup.
The cup he gave first to Mentor, judging
him to be the elder of the two, saying to
him: "Pray now to the god of the sea,
and pour out some of the wine as an offer-
ing, and when you have done so, give the
cup to your friend, that he may do the

same."

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TELEMACHUS AND NESTOR

So Mentor took the cup and prayed to
the god of the sea, saying: "Give renown
to Nestor and his sons, and make such a
return to the men of Pylos as is their due
for this great sacrifice, and grant to us that
we may accomplish that for which we have
come hither."

And when he had said these words he
poured out some of the wine on the sand.
Then he passed the cup to Telem^chus, and
he also said the same words and poured out
some of the wine.

When they had eaten and drunk as much
as they desired, Nestor said to them:
"Strangers, who arc you, and what is your
business? Are you traders that sail over
the seas to buy and sell in foreign lands,
or are you pirates?"

TelemSchus answered, Athene putting into
his heart what he should say: "We come
from Ithaca, and we are neither traders nor
pirates. I seek for news of my father, who
in time past fought by your side, and helped
you to take the city of Troy. Now we
know about all the other chiefs who fought
against Troy, how some came back safe to

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their homes, and some perished. But of
Ulysses, my father, no man knows any-
thing, whether he be alive or dead. For
this reason I am come to you. It may be
that you saw his death with your own eyes,
or that you have heard of it from another
that saw it. Speak no smooth words, I pray
you, for pity's sake, but tell me plainly what
you have seen or heard.*'

Nestor answered: "Ah me! you bring
back to my mind old things, old troubles that
we bore when we fought against the great
city of Priam. There the best of us were
slain. There lies the mighty Ajax — Ajax
of the great shield which no one but he
could carry. There also lies Achilles, the
greatest of all the Greeks. No one was so
swift of foot as he, and he had a spear
which no one but he could throw. There,
also, lies my own dear son, Antilochus. But
who could tell the tale of all that we suf-
fered? For nine years we fought against
the city, and your father was always the
wisest of us; no man gave such counsel as
did he, and truly you are like him; when
you speak I seem to be hearing him. But

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now I will tell you what I know. When
at last, in the tenth year, Troy was taken,
then there came fresh trouble upon us. For
there were some who were not just or pru-
dent, and they made the gods angry by their
evil doings. First, there was a quarrel be-
tween Agamemnon and his brother Mene-
laiis. Menelaiis was for going back home
without delay, but Agamemnon thought that
the Greeks should stay awhile and make a
great sacrifice to Athene, for he feared that
she was angry with the people. So they
called the people to an Assembly, and there
was much talking and disputing, some cry-
ing out one thing and some another. The
next day I and the others that held with
Menelaiis launched our ships, and put into
them all our goods, and all the spoil that
we had taken out of Troy, and so set sail.
With us there was one half of the people,
and the other half stayed behind with King
Agamemnon. But when we had gone but
a little there was another division, for your
father, Ulysses, went back to Troy, and
others went with him. But I knew in
my heart that the gods were angry with

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us, for it was they who had caused this strife
and division among us. So I went on my
way; so did the brave Diomed, and so did
Menelaiis; straight across the sea we sailed.
And on the fourth day Diomed came safely
to his city of Argos, and I went on to my
own city of Pylos here, and reached it
without suffering loss or harm. You see,
therefore, that I cannot speak of my own
knowledge as to what happened to other
chiefs. But I will tell you all the news
that I have heard here since then. The
people of Achilles came safe to their home,
his son leading them, and Philoctetes came
safe, and Agamemnon came safe — but,
alas! a wicked woman slew him. But
as for Ulysses, I have told you all I
know."

Then said Telemachus: "Tell me now
about Menelaiis. Did he also come safely
to his home ? "

Nestor answered: "Yes, he, too, came
safely, but after a long time. He and I sailed
together across the sea, and came without loss
to a certain cape which is near to the city
of Athens. There his pilot died, and he

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could not but stay awhile, though he greatly
wished to get home, for the man was dear
to him, and he must needs give him an
honourable burial. But when he had done
this and had set sail again, a great storm
arose, and his fleet was divided. Some of
the ships were driven ashore at the Island
of Crete and were wrecked, the men barely
escaping with their lives. As for Menelaiis,
he was driven eastward by the wind to
^gyP^> h^ ^^^ five ships with him — five
ships out of sixty, you must know, for he
had sixty ships when he came to Troy. For
seven years he wandered about in those parts,
and in the beginning of the eighth year he
came back, bringing much gold and other
precious things with him in his ship. And
now, my son, my advice to you is this: do
not wander about looking for your father.
You will only waste your goods by so doing.
But go to Menelaiis, where he lives in his
own city of Sparta, and ask him to tell
whether he has seen or heard anything about
your father. You see that he has but lately
come back after many wanderings, and if
there is anything to be heard about your

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father, it has doubtless come to his ears.
You can go in your ship, if you will. But
there are many miles between Sparta and
the sea, so that you would do better to go
in a chariot. This I will provide for you,
and horses to draw it, and one of my sons
to be your guide."

By this time it was near to sunset, and
Mentor said to Telemachus: "Q)mc now,
let us go back to our ship that we may sleep
there." But Nestor, when he heard this,
said: "Not so, my friends; the gods forbid
that you should sleep in your ship when
my house is near at hand. I am no needy
man who cannot find rugs and mats and
clothing enough for my guests that they
may lie soft and warm. No, no! I have
enough of these. Never shall the son of
my old friend Ulysses sleep on the deck of
his ship while I have my hall, or while
my son after me shall have a hall in which
to shelter him."

Then Mentor spoke: "This is well said,
my father. Telemachus shall sleep in your
house, and I will go back to the ship and
cheer the men, for they will wish to know

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how their young master has fared. Besides,
I have business on hand which I must do:
a debt, among other things, which I must
needs collect, for it is large and has been a
long time owing."

When he had finished speaking, the man
Mentor, for such they thought him to be,
was changed into the shape of an eagle of
the sea in the sight of all the company, and
they were astonished to see it. And old
Nestor took Telemachus by the hand and
said: "Truly you are no weakling, for I see
that young as you are the gods have a favour
for you. This is none other than Athene;
she was always helping your father when he
was at Troy."

Then the old man led the company to
his house, and bade them sit down. And
he mixed for them a bowl of old wine.
The wine was eleven years old, and he
shredded on it goats' milk cheese, and
sprinkled also barley meal, and when they
had drunk as much as they desired, they
lay down to sleep. Telemachus slept on a
bed beneath the gallery of the house,
and Nestor's youngest son slept on a bed

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close by; to take care that he should not
suffer any harm.

The next day, as soon as it was light,
Nestor rose and called his sons. One he
sent to fetch a heifer from the plain, and
another he told to go to the ship and bring
all the crew up to the palace, leaving two
only to take care of it. And a third fetched
the goldsmith that he might gild the horns
of the heifer. Meanwhile the maids made
everything ready for a feast. So Nestor
sacrificed the heifer, and the company feasted
on the flesh. As for Telemachus, he sat by
Nestor's side, and he had put on a handsome
tunic and a mantle over the tunic, which
Nestor's youngest daughter had made ready
for him.

When they had finished their meal, Nestor
said: '^Harness the horses to the chariot,
and let Telemachus start on his journey."

So they harnessed the horses, and the
housekeeper put food and wine, such as
princes eat and drink, into the chariot, and
Nestor's youngest son took the reins in
his hand, and TelemSchus rode with him.
That day they travelled as far as the town

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of Pherae. There they stopped for the
night with the king of the place. And the
next day they came to Sparta, where Menelaiis
lived.

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CHAPTER VII
HOW TELEMACHUS CAME TO SPARTA

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CHAPTER VII
HOW TELEMACHUS CAME TO SPARTA

It happened that on the very day when
TeiemSchus and Nestor's son came to Sparta,
King Menelaiis had a double wedding in his
house. His daughter Hermione was married
to the son of Achilles, and he had found a
wife in one of the noble families of the
country for his son, whose name was Mega-
penthes. So when the two young men drove
the chariot up to the door of the palace,
the king's steward was a little vexed, and
he said to himself: "We have quite enough
to do already, and here are two strangers
whom we shall have to entertain." So he
went to the king and said: "Here are two
strangers at the door. Shall we keep them
here, or shall we send them on to another
house?"

Menelaiis was very angry, and answered:
"What? shall we, who have been guests in

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so many houses, turn away guests from our
door? Not so; unharness their horses, and
bid them sit down and eat."

So the steward gave orders to the grooms
that they should unharness the horses, and
take them to the stables, and give them com
to eat. And to the young men he said:
"Will you please to get down from your
chariot and come in?" So the two got
down, and he led them into the king's halL
A wonderful place it was, as bright as if
the sun or the moon was shining in it.
And when they had looked about them, the
steward took them to the baths, which were
of polished marble. And when they had
bathed they came back to the hall, and the
king himself told them to sit down by him.
So they sat down, and first a maid brought
silver basins, and poured water into them
from a golden jug, that they might wash
their hands. After this the old housekeeper
came and put a polished table before them,
and on the table she set dainty dishes and
plates and golden bowls of wine and cups.
And the king told a servant to bring a
chine of beef, which was his own portion,

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and bade them eat. When they had had
enough, Teiemachus said to his friend: ''See
the gold and the silver and the amber and
the ivory. This must be as fine as the hall
of the gods."

This he said with his face close to his
friend's ear, but the king heard it, and said:
"Nay, my son, nothing upon earth can be
compared with the hall of the gods; and,
it may be, there are other men who have
things as fine as these. Yet fine they are;
I have wandered far to get them. But alas!
while I was getting them, my own dear
brother was wickedly slain in his own home.
I would give them all if he were alive again,
he and other good friends of mine. Many
are gone; but there is none whom I miss
more than Ulysses. And no man knows
whether he is alive or dead." And when
TelemSchus heard his father's name, he held
up his cloak before his eyes and wept.
Menelaiis saw him, and knew who he was,
for, indeed, as has been said, he was very
like his father. Then he thought to him-
self, ''Shall I speak to him about his father,
or shall I wait till he speaks himself?"
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Just then Helen herself came into the hall,
and three maids with her. One set a couch
for her to sit on, and another spread a carpet
for her feet» and the third had a basket of
purple wool for her to spin. And she had
a distaff of gold in her hands. When she
saw the strangers she said: —

"Who are these, Menelaiis? Never have
I seen any one so like to Ulysses as is this
young man. Surely this must be Tele-
machus, whom he left a baby in his home
when he went to Troy."

And the king said: ''It is true, lady.
These are the hands and feet of Ulysses;
and he has the same look in his eyes, and
his hair is of the same colour."

Then all shed tears; Helen and the king
and Telemachus, and also Nestor's son. How
could he help it when his friends were so
sad? And, besides, he thought how his
own dear brother had gone to Troy and
had never come back. But he was the
first to stop his tears, for he said to the
king: "Is it well to weep in this way
while we sit at meat? There is a time to
moum for the dead, to weep and to crop

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close the hair; but there is also a time to re-
joice.

"You arc right," said the king. "You
arc the wise son of a wise father. Yes, we
will weep no more. As for TelemSchus, he
and I have much to say to each other. Let
that be to-morrow; but now we will eat
and drink."

Then the fair Helen took a certain medi*-
cine, and mixed it in the wine that they
were about to drink. It was an herb, and
it grew in the land of Egypt, and the wife
of the king of Egypt had given it her. It
was called Painless^ and it was a wonderful
medicine; for if any one drank the wine in
which it was mixed, he could feel no pain
or grief — no, not though his father and
mother should die, or his son or his brother
should be killed before his eyes. So they
sat and drank wine and talked together.
And one of the matters about which they
talked was the wisdom of Ulysses. Then
Helen told this story: —

"While the Greeks were besieging the
city of Troy, Ulysses disguised himself as
a beggar man and came to the gate of the

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city, and desired to speak with some of
the chief men. It could be seen that he
had many weals and bruises upon his body,
as if he had been cruelly beaten ; and, indeed,
he had beaten himself. So they brought
him to me, knowing that he was a Greek.
And when I saw him I knew who he was,
and I asked him many questions. Very
cunningly did he answer them. But I prom-
ised him that I would not make him
known. So he went about the city, and
found out many things that the Greeks
desired to know. Also he killed some of
the Trojans stealthily. Other women in
Troy mourned and lamented, but I was
glad; for I desired to go again to my
home.*'

Then Menelaus said: "You speak truly,
lady. Ulysses is indeed the wisest of men.
I have travelled over many lands, but never
have I seen any one who could be matched
with him. Well do I remember how, when
I and other chiefs of the Greeks were hidden
in the Wooden Horse,* you came with one

^ The wooden horse was a yeiy laige figure of a horse by
which the Greeks contrived to get into Troy. They pretended

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of the princes of Troy and walked round the
horse. Some one of the gods who loved
the Trojans had put it into your heart to
do this. Three times you walked round,
and you called to each of us by name, and
when you called you imitated the voice of
the man's wife. And so well you did it
that we could not believe but that our wives
were truly calling to us. Then Diomed
would have answered, and I too, but Ulysses
would not let us speak, for he knew what
it really was. Thus he saved the Greeks
that day."

Then TelemSchus said: "Yet all his wis-
dom has not kept him from perishing/'

After that they went to their beds and
slept.

to go away, but really remained in a neighbouring island. The
wooden horse they left behind them, and got the Trojans to
believe that it was an oflFering to the goddess Athene, and that if
they would only bring it into the city, Troy would always be
safe from being taken. This was the stoiy which a Greek, who
pretended to be a deserter, told to the people of the city. Now the
horse was really filled with armed men, and it was arranged that
the Greeks should come back during the night, and that the
chiefs who were inside the horse should open the gates of the city
to uiem.

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CHAPTER VIII
MENELAUS'S STORY

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CHAPTER VIII
MENELAUffS STORY

The next day Menelaiis said to Telemachus:
''Tell me now on what business you have
come. Is it on some affair of your own,
or is it something that concerns the State?"

Telemachus answered: "I have come to
see whether you can tell me anything about
my father. No one knows whether he is
alive or dead. And I am in great trouble
at home, because certain nobles of Ithaca
and of the islands round about would have
my mother choose a husband from among
them, and meanwhile they devour my sub-
stance."

Menelaiis said: "They will certainly be
punished for their wrong-doing. So a hind
lays her young in a lion's den, but when the
lion comes back, he slays both her and her
fawn. So will Ulysses slay these Suitors, for
he will most certainly come back. But now

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I will tell you all that I know. In my travels
I went to the land of Egypt, and when I
wished to sail homeward, I could not, for
the winds were against me. There is an
island opposite the mouth of the Nile, which
is the great river of Egypt. There I stayed,
not of my own choice, for twenty days, till
all our food was eaten up. Truly we had
all perished, I and my men, but that one
of the goddesses of the sea had pity on
us. She was the daughter of a sea god, and
one day as I sat alone, for my men were
wandering about fishing with hooks for
anything that they might catch, she stood
by me and said: 'Surely this is a foolish
thing that you do, sitting here till you
and your men die of hunger.* I an-
swered: 'I know not who you are, but I
will tell you the truth. It is not of my
own choice that I stay; the winds are
against me, and I cannot go. Tell me,
now, whether I have offended the gods,
and tell me also how I can return to my
home.' Then she said: 'I cannot tell
you these things, but there is one who can,
and that is my father Proteus. He comes

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here with the sea-beasts which he herds.
But you must lay hold on him, for he
will not tell you these things except by
force/ Then I asked her to tell me how
this could be done. Then she said: *The
old man comes here at noon to a certain
cave that there is by the sea, and he
brings his sea-beasts with him. Then he
lies down in the cave to sleep, and the
beasts lie all round him. That is the time
for you to lay hold of him. Choose now
out of your men the three that are bravest
and strongest, and I will take them and
you at daybreak and hide you in the cave.
The old man will come at noon. First,
he will count the beasts, as a shepherd
counts his sheep, and then he will lie
down to sleep in the middle of them.
Then you must rush upon him, and lay
your hands upon him and hold him fast.
Remember that he will take all kind of
shapes, beasts and creeping things, and
water and fire. But when he shall come
back to his proper shape, then let him go,
and ask him what you want to know, and
he will tell you.' When the goddess had

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said this, she dived into the sea. So I
chose three of my men, the bravest and
the strongest that there were, and V(re
waited at the place where the goddess had
spoken to me. Just before dawn she came
out of the sea, bringing four skins of sea-
beasts with her. And she took us into the
cave, and dug out hiding places for us in
the sand, and wrapped the skin of a sea-
beast about each of us, and made us lie
down in the places which she had dug out.
She wrapped the skins about us in order
that the old man might take us for sea-
beasts. Now the beasts had been just
killed, and the smell of them was such as
could scarcely be borne; so she took por-
tions of ambrosia, which is the food of the
gods, and very sweet smelling. She put a
portion under the nose of each one of us,
and so we were able to endure the smell
of the beasts. So we waited all the morn-
ing. At noon the old man came from the
sea, and the beasts came with him, and
went into the cave and lay down on the
sand. And the old man went along the
line, and counted the beasts, counting us

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with the rest, and he did not perceive our
device. This done, he lay down to sleep in
the midst of the herd. Then we rushed
upon him, and held him fast. He took many
shapes^ a lion, and a snake, and a panther,
and a wild boar, yes, and running water,
and a tree covered with flowers. All the
while we held him fast. But when he was
come back to his proper shape, we let him
go. Then he said: 'Who told you how
to beguile me?' To this I made no
answer, for why should I make mischief
between him and his daughter? But I
said: 'Tell me now the things that I
desire to know. I am kept fast in this
island; tell me how I can escape.' He
said: 'You are kept here by the gods; if
you had done proper sacrifice to them before
you set sail, you had been near to your
home by this time. But now go back to
Egypt, and do sacrifices, as is proper, and the
gods will give you your desire.' It troubled
me to hear this, for I desired to go home-
ward and not back to Egypt. But I said:
'There is yet another thing which I would
hear. Tell me about the chiefs whom

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Nestor and I left behind us in Troy; have
they returned safely to their homes or no?'
The old man said: 'Why did you ask this
question, for the answer will make you
sorry? Two only of the chiefs perished.
Ajax the Lesser was shipwrecked. He had
offended Athene, and she brake his ship
with a thunderbolt. And yet he might
have escaped with his life, for the gods of
the sea helped him so that he got to the
rocks. But he boasted foolishly that he
had saved himself in spite of the gods; and
when the god of the sea heard this, he was
angry, and smote the rock on which Ajax
sat, so that it was broken into two pieces,
and Ajax fell into the sea, and was drowned.
And the other chief who perished was thy
own brother Agamemnon. He came safely
indeed to his own land ; but there Aegis-
thus wickedly killed him.' Then I said:
'There is yet one chief of whom I wish
to hear something.' But before I could tell
his name, the old man said: 'I know of
whom you are speaking. It is Ulysses of
Ithaca. Him I saw in the island of
Calypso. He was weeping, because Calypso

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keeps him there against his will, and he
has no companions and no ship/ And
when he had said this he plunged into the
sea. Then I went back to Egypt, and
offered sacrifice to the gods, and so came
safely home, for the gods gave me a favour-
able wind. And now, my son, tarry with
me as long as you will. And when you
wish to depart, I will give you a chariot
and horses, and also a goodly cup.''

But TelemSchus said: ''Keep me not, for
I would go home as soon as may be. But
as for the horses I thank you, but I desire
them not. Here you have corn, land, and
pasture, but we have none such in Ithaca.
There is no feeding land save for goats; and
yet I love it."

Menelaiis answered: ''You speak well
and warily, as becomes your father's son. I
will therefore change the gift. You shall
have the finest cup that I have in my
house, the one that the king of Sidon
gave me. It is of silver, but the rim is
finished with gold."

Then TelemSchus departed and went to
his ship where it lay at Pylos. And the

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crew came from Nestor's palace^ when they
heard of his return, and in due course they
started for their home. Now Antinous had
taken a ship with twenty men, and lay in
wait in the Strait between Ithaca and Same.
But TelemSchus was warned by Athene that
he should go home by another way, and
this he didy and so escaped the danger.

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CHAPTER DC

HOW ULYSSES CAME TO THE
PHAEACIANS

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CHAPTER IX
HOW ULYSSES CAME TO THE PHAEACIANS

Now the time was come when Ulysses was
to be set free from his prison in Calypso's
island. Athene said in the council of the
gods: "It seems to me that a good king is not
in the least better off than a bad one. Look
at Ulysses; he was as a father to his people,
and see how he is shut up in Calypso's island.
For seven years and more he has been there.'*

Then said Zeus to Hermes, who was the
messenger of the gods: "Go now to Calypso
in her island, and tell her that it is my will
that Ulysses should go back to his own
country."

So Hermes tied his golden sandals on his
feet, and took his wand in his hand, and flew
from Olympus to Calypso's island, and to the
cave in which she dwelt. It was a very fair
place. All about the mouth of the cave
there was a vine with clusters of purple

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grapes; and round about the cave there
was a wood of alder-trees, and poplars, and
cypresses, in which many birds used to roost ;
also there were four fountains from which
four streams of the clearest water that could
be flowed down through meadows of parsley
and violets. In the cave itself there was
burning a fire of sweet-smelling woods.
Calypso sat at her loom, and sang in a very
lovely voice. Hermes looked about on the
vine, and the grove, and the fountains, and
the meadows, and thought to himself that
it was a lovely place. Then he went into the
cave, and when Calypso saw him she knew
who he was, and why he had come. Never-
theless she pretended not to know. ''You
are welcome, Hermes," she said, ''and all the
more because you have never been here to see
me before. Now you must tell me why you
have come; but first, come, eat and drink."

So she set a table before him, and on the
table she put ambrosia, which is the food of
the gods; and she mixed a bowl of nectar for
him, for this is what the gods drink. And
when he had eaten and drunk enough, he said
to Calypso: "You ask me why I have come;

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80 I will tell you. Zeus bade me come^ and
we must all do what Zeus tells us. You have
a man in your island here — yes, and have had
him for seven years and more, and he is very
unhappy, because he wishes to go home. He
fought against Troy for nine years and more,
and in the tenth year he set out to return.
But many misfortunes happened to him, and
he lost all his companions, and somehow he
was brought to this island. Now send him
back to his home as quickly as you can, for
this is his fate that he should live the rest of
his life among his friends."

This was just what Calypso expected to
hear; but she was very angry and said: ^^Did
I not save this man's life when Zeus broke his
ship with a thunderbolt, and he was carried
by the waves to this island ? Yes, if Zeus so
wishes, he shall go, but I cannot send him, for
I have no ship and no rowers."

And Hermes said: ''Send him neverthe-
less, lest Zeus should be angry with you."
And when he had said this he spread his
wings, for he had wings on his shoulders and
on his feet, and flew away.

Then Calypso went down to the sea-shore
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— for it was there that Ulysses used to sit
looking at the waves, and longing to go over
them that he might see his own dear country
again. There she found him weeping and
lamenting, for he was weary of his life. And
she stood by him and said: "Weep no more.
You shall have your wish: I will do what I
can to help you on your way home. Take an
axe and cut down trees and make a raft, tying
the beams together with ropes, and putting
planks on them for a deck. And I will give
you bread, and water, and wine; yes, and
clothes too, that you may go to your own
country, if you will have it so." Ulysses
said: "What is this plan of yours? Shall I
go on a raft across the great sea which the
ships with oars and sail can hardly pass?
Now swear by the great oath which the gods
dare not break, that you mean to do me no
harm." Calypso smiled, and said: "These
are strange words. Why should I do you
harm? But if you will so have it, then I
will swear by the great oath of the gods that
I have no thought of doing you harm."

The next day Calypso gave him an axe, and
took him to a part of the island where there

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were trees fit for making the raft — alder, and
poplar, and pine. Twenty of these he cut
down, and he hewed them to one shape.
And the goddess gave him a tool by which
he bored holes in the logs, so that he could
fasten them together; also he cut planks for
a deck, and for the sides. He made a mast,
too, and a rudder by which to steer the raft;
also he made a bulwark of skin which was to
keep out the waves. The sails Calypso wove,
and Ulysses fitted them with ropes. Last of
all, he pushed the raft down to the sea with
levers. All these things were finished by the
end of the fourth day, and on the fifth day
he departed. But first Calypso gave him a
store of food, and water, and wine, and also
clothes. And being a goddess and able to do
such things, she sent a fair wind blowing
behind him. So he set his sails, and went
gladly on his way. In the day time he
steered by the sun, and in the night by the
stars, for Calypso had said to him: "Keep the
Great Bear always on your left." So he sailed
for seventeen days, and during this time he
never slept. On the eighteenth day he saw
the island of the Phaeacians.

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Now the god of the sea was very angry
with Ulysses, because he had blinded the
Cyclops, who was his son. It so happened
that he had been for many days feasting with
the Ethiopians, and was coming back to
Olympus, where the gods dwell, on this very
day. And when he saw Ulysses on his left,
he said to himself: "Truly this is a new
thing. Here is Ulysses close to the island
of the Phaeacians; if once he gets there he
will soon be at home. But I will give him
some trouble yet.*'

Then he took his trident, which he carried
in his hand — it was a great fork with three
prongs — and struck the sea with it, and im-
mediately the waves rose high all round the
raft, and he made the winds blow. Ulysses
was much troubled and frightened, for a man
who does not feel fear in battle may feel it
in a storm. He said to himself: "I would
that I had been killed on that day when we
fought with the Trojans for the dead body
of Achilles. Then I should have been buried
with honour by my own people; but now I
shall perish miserably.'* While he was speak-
ing thus to himself a great wave struck the

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raft, and made him leave hold of the rudder,
and tossed him far away into the sea. Deep
did he sink into the water, and hard was it
for him to rise again to the top, for the fine
clothes which Calypso had given him were
very heavy, and dragged him down. But at
last he rose, and spat the salt water out of
his mouth and sprang at the raft, for he was
a brave man, and never lost heart, and caught
it, and clambered on to it and sat on it.

While he was being carried hither and
thither by the waves, a goddess of the sea
saw him and pitied him, for she had once
been a woman, and very unhappy. She rose
out of the sea in the shape of a gull, and
perched upon the raft, and said to him: "Why
does the god of the sea hate you so, unlucky
man? He would willingly drown you, but
it shall not be. Take off these heavy clothes
that you are wearing, and put this veil under
you" — and she gave him a veil — "and so
swim to the island that you see yonder. And
when you have got to the shore, throw the
veil into the sea, and mind that you do not
look behind you when you throw it." And
when she had said this, she plunged into the sea.

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But Ulysses thought to himself: "Is this
a snare for my life, or is it a help? I will
wait awhile. The land I see, but it is a long
way off, and it would be hard to swim so far.
As long as the raft shall hold together I will
stay upon it; but if the waves break it, then
I will swim; and, indeed, there will be
nothing else for me to do. Maybe the veil
will help me.'*

While he was speaking there came another
great wave against the raft and broke it up
altogether; but Ulysses kept hold of one of
the planks of which it was made with his
arms and legs, and got astride of it. Then
he stripped off the clothes that Calypso had
given him, and jumped into the sea with the
veil under him, and spread out his hands to
swim. And the god of the sea laughed when
he saw him, and said: "Swim away; you will
have trouble enough before you get safely
home.'* But the goddess Athene did not for-
get him. She stopped the other winds from
blowing, but left the north wind, for that
would keep him on his way. And so he
swam for two days and two nights. On the
third day there was a calm, though there was

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still a great swell in the sea, as there always
is when the wind has been high. And Ulysses
saw the land from the top of a great wave,
and it was close at hand. Very glad was he
to see it, as glad as children to see their father
when he has been ill a long time and is now
well again. But when he looked again he
saw that there was no place where he could
land, for the cliffs rose straight out of the
sea, and the waves dashed high against them.
And Ulysses thought: "Now what shall I
do? I see the land, indeed, but I cannot
set my foot upon it. If I swim to it, then
a wave may dash me on the rocks and kill
me. And if I swim along the shore till I
find a place where I may land, then some
monster of the sea may lay hold of me.'*

But while he was thinking, a great wave
caught him and carried him on towards the
cliffs. He caught hold of a jutting rock
that was there, and clung to it with all his
might till the wave had spent its force, so
that he was not dashed against the face of
the cliff. Nevertheless, when the water flowed
back, he could not keep his hold on the rock,
but was carried out to the deep. After this

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he swam along outside the breakers looking
for a place where it was calm, or for a harbour,
if such there might be. At last he came to
where a river ran into the sea. The place
was free from rocks, and sheltered from the
winds, and Ulysses felt the stream of the river,
for it was fresh, in the salt water of the river.
And he prayed to the god of the river, say-
ing: ''Hear me, O king, and help, for I am
flying from the anger of the god of the sea.''
And the river god heard him, and stayed his
stream, and made the water smooth before
him. So, at last, he won his way to land.
His knees were bent under him, and he could
not lift his arms, and the salt water ran out
of his mouth and his nose. He was breath-
less and speechless, very near, indeed, to death.
But, after a while, he came to himself. Then
he loosed the veil from under him, and threw
it into the stream of the river, and did not
look behind him when he threw it.

This done, he lay down on the rushes by
the river side. And first he kissed the earth,
so glad was he to feel it again under him;
yet he doubted what he should do. If he
slept there by the river, the dew and the heat

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might kill him^ for it was cold in the morn-
ing; and if he went into the wood and lay
down there to sleep^ then some wild beast
might devour him. It seemed better to go
to the wood. So he went. And in the
wood he found two olive trees growing to-
gether. So thickly did they grow that neither
wind, nor sun, nor rain made its way through
the shade. Ulysses crept underneath them, and
found a great quantity of dead leaves, enough
to shelter a man, or even two men. Right
glad was Ulysses to see the place, and he crept
under the trees and covered himself with
leaves; and sleep came down upon him, and
he forgot all his troubles.

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CHAPTER X
NAUSICAA

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CHAPTER X

NAUSICAA

While Ulysses was still asleep, Athene
thought how she might make friencls for
him in this new country to which he had
come. So she went to the palace of the king
of the country, and to that room of the
palace in which the king's daughter slept.
This daughter was called Nausicaa, and she
was as beautiful a girl as there was in the
whole world. And Athene made Nausicaa
dream a dream, and the dream was this. She
thought that a very dear friend of hers, a
girl of the same age, daughter of a famous
sailor called Dymas, stood by her bed-side
and spoke to her. And what the girl seemed
to say in the dream was this: —

'^ Nausicaa, how is it that your good

mother has such a careless child? All your

clothes lie unwashed, and this though your

wedding day will soon be here, when you

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must have clean clothing for yourself and for
your bridesmaids. The bride who is pre-
pared with these things is well spoken of by
everybody. As soon as it is morning, rise
from your bed and go and wash the clothes,
and I will come with you to help you. But
first go to the king, your father, and ask him
to give you a waggon and mules to draw it,
that you may take the clothes to the washing
places near the sea."

When Nausicaa woke in the morning, she
remembered her dream, and all the words
that her friend had said came back to her.
So she went to look for her father and mother.
Her mother she found spinning with her
maids; the yarn that they were spinning
was dyed with a lovely purple, of the colour
of the sea. And her mother said that the
clothes certainly should be washed. Then
Nausicaa went to look for her father. Him
she found, just as he was going to hold a
council with his chiefs. She said to him:
"Father, let me have the waggon with the
mules, that I may take the clothes to the
river to wash them. You like to have clean
robes when you go to the council, and there

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arc my five brothers, tcx), who like to be
nicely dressed for the dance/'

But she said nothing about her wedding
day, for she was a little shy. But her father
knew what she was thinking about, and said:

*'Dear child, I don't grudge you the mules,
nor the waggon, nor anything else. The men
shall get them ready for you.'*

So he called to his men, and they made
the waggon ready, and harnessed the mules.
And Nausicaa brought down the clothes that
had to be washed from her chamber, and put
them in the waggon. And her mother filled
a basket with good things for her daughter
and her maids to eat, and she gave them a
skin bottle of wine, and a flask of olive oil,
to be used after they had bathed. So
Nausicaa and her maids got into the waggon,
and she took the reins in her hands, and
touched the mules with her whip. The
mules started off at a trot, and did not halt
till they reached the places by the river
where the clothes were to be washed.

The girls undid the harness from the
mules, and let them feed on the sweet clover
that grew by the river side. And they took

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the clothes from the waggon^ and put them
into trenches that had been dug out for
washing places. If they had tried to wash
them in the river itself, they would have
been carried away by the stream. The
trenches were filled with water, but it was
quite still. So they laid the clothes in them,
and trod on them and washed them till all
were quite clean. Then they took them
out of the trenches, and laid them to dry
on the shingle by the sea. After this they
all bathed in the sea, and anointed them-
selves with the olive oil. Then they sat
down to eat and drink by the river side.
And when they had had enough, they got
up to have a game at ball. As they played,
they sang, and Nausicaa led the singing.
They were tall and beautiful, all of them,
but the princess was taller and more beautiful
than all the others.

So when they had ended their play, and
had taken up the dry clothes from the shingle
where they had been laid, and had folded
them up, and put them in the waggon, and
were about to harness the mules, this thing
happened. Athene put it into the mind of

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the princess to take up the ball, and throw
it for sport to one of the maids, though, as
has been said, the play was ended. So wide
did she throw it that it fell into the river, and
all the maids cried out, fearing that it
might be lost. So loudly did they cry, that
they woke Ulysses. And he said to himself:
"What land is this to which I have come?
I wonder whether the people who live in it
are savage or kind to strangers? And what
was this cry that I heard? It sounded to
me like the voice of nymphs." Then he
looked out from the place where he was
lying, and saw the princess and her maids.
They were not far from him, for they had
come down to the river to look for the ball..
So he broke a bough full of leaves from off
a tree which stood by, and twisted it round
his middle, and came out of his hiding place,
and went towards the maids. They were
very much afraid when they saw him, and
ran away; and indeed he looked very wild
and fierce. But Nausicaa did not run, but
stood where she was. Then Ulysses said to
himself: "Shall I go up to her and clasp
her knees?** (This was what people used to

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do in those days, when they wanted to ask
a great favour.) ''But perhaps this will make
her angry. Would it not be better to stand
where I am, and speak?"

This he did, saying: "O queen, I beg
you to be kind to me. Maybe you are a
goddess. But if you are a woman, then your
father is a happy man, and happy your
brothers, and happiest of all he who is to
be your husband. Never did I see man or
woman so fair. You are like a young palm-
tree that I once saw springing up by a
temple in the island of Delos. Have pity
on me, for I have been cast up here by the
sea, and have nothing. Give me something
to put on — a wrapper of this linen, maybe,
and show me the way to the city."

Nausicaa said: "You do not look like a
bad or foolish man; as for the sad plight in
which you are, the gods give good luck to
some, and bad luck to others. You shall
have clothing and food, and everything that
you need. And I will take you to the city,
for I am daughter to the king of this country,
And the name of the country, if you wish to
know it, is the Island of Phaeacia."

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Then the princess turned to the maids^ and
said: "Why do you run away when you
see a man? No one comes here to do us
harm, for the gods love us and take care of
us. And besides, we live in an island, and
so are safe. But if tome one upon whom
trouble has fallen comes here, we ought to
help him. Give this man, therefore, food
and drink, and let him wash in the river in
some place that is out of the wind."

So the maids led him down to the river,
and gave him clothes: a tunic to wear next
to his skin, and a cloak to put over the tunic.
Also they gave him a flask of olive oil, to use
after he had his bath. Then they left
him to himself, and he bathed in the river,
and washed the salt from his skin, and out
of his hair, and rubbed the oil on his body,
and put on the tunic and the cloak. And
Athene made him look taller and fairer than
he was, and caused the hair to grow thicker
and darker on his head. So he sat down
on the sea-shore, and waited. And when
the princess saw him, she said: "Surely it
is the gods who have brought this man
here. When I saw him first, I thought that

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he was not uncomely, but now he seems
more like a god than a man. I should be
well contented to have such a man for my
husband, and perhaps he may be willing to
stay in this country.** Then she turned to
the maids, and said: ''Give the stranger
food and drink." So they gave him, and he
ate ravenously, for he had had a long fast,
for it was now the third day since the raft
had been broken by the sea, and all the store
of food and drink which Calypso had given
him had been lost.

Then Nausicaa told the maids to harness
the mules, and she said to Ulysses: "Come,
stranger, with me, and I will take you to my
father's house. But now listen, and do as
I shall tell you; as long as we are in the
country, follow with the maids, and keep
close to the waggon. But when we come
to the city, then drop behind. This is how
you will know the place. There is a narrow
passage leading to the city gate, and on each
side of the passage there is a harbour.
Then you will see a grove of poplar trees,
and a spring in the midst of the grove, with
grass round it. Stay there till I shall have

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had time to reach my father's house. Now
the reason why I would have you do so is
this. I do not wish the common people to
gossip about me. If they were to see you
following close after the chariot, one of them
might say: 'Who is this tall and handsome
stranger that comes with Nausicaa? Will
he be her husband? Is he a god come
down from heaven, or is he a man from
some place over the seas? The princess is
too proud, it seems, to marry one of us.' I
would not have such words spoken about me.
Stay, then, in the grove till you think that
I have got to my home. Then come out,
and pass through the gate, and ask for the
king's palace. Any one, even a child, can
tell you the way, for there is not another
house in the city like it. And when you
have come to it, pass quickly through the
hall to the place where my mother sits. It
is on one side of the hearth, and my father's
is on the other. Do not speak to him, but
lay hold of my mother's knees, and beg of
her that she will send you safely home."

Then she touched the mules with the
whip, and they set off. But the princess was

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careful not to drive so fast but that Ulysses
and the maids could easily keep up with the
waggon. And when the sun was about to
set, they came to the city, and Ulysses stayed
behind in the grove, but Nausicaa with the
maids went on to the palace. When she
came thither, her brothers unyoked the mules
from the waggon and carried the linen into
the house, and she went to her room, where
her maid lit a fire for her and prepared a
meal.

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CHAPTER XI
ALCINOUS

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CHAPTER XI
ALCINOUS

After a while Ulysses rose to go into the
city, and Athene spread a mist about him so
that the passers-by might not see him as he
went. Also she took upon her the shape of
a young girl who was carrying a pitcher, and
met him.

Ulysses asked her: "My child, can you
tell me where King Alcinoiis lives? I am
a stranger here."

She answered: "I will show you his abode;
it is close to the home of my father." So she
led the way, and Ulysses followed her. Much
did he wonder, as he went, at all he saw —
the harbour, and the ships, and the place of
assembly, and the walls, till they came to the
palace. Athene said: "This is the king's
house." Further, she said — and now Ulysses
knew that it was Athene and not a girl that
was speaking — "Go in, fear nothing; the fear-

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less man always fares best. And look first for
the queen. Her name is Arete. Never was
there a wife more loved by her husband, or a
queen more honoured by her people. Be sure
that if she favours you, you have come to the
end of your troubles, and will see your dear
land of Ithaca again."

When she had said this, Athene vanished
out of sight, and Ulysses went into the palace.
A wonderful place it was, as bright as if the
sun had been shining in it. The walls were
of brass, and the doors were of gold, and the
posts on which the doors were hung were
of silver, and along the sides of the hall
were golden chairs on which the chiefs were
used to sit when they were invited to a feast.
By each seat was the golden statue of a man,
holding a torch in his hand, so that the hall
might be lighted when it was night. There
were fifty maid-servants in the house; half
of them were grinding corn, and half of them
were weaving robes. All round the house
were beautiful gardens, full of fig-trees and
apples, and pears, and pomegranates, and
olives. They never are harmed by frost or
by drought, and there is never a time when

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some fruit is not ripe. Also there was a
vineyard, and this bore grapes all the year
round. Some of them were hanging dried in
the sun, and some were being gathered, and
some were just turning red. Also there were
beds of beautiful flowers, and in the middle
were two fountains which never grew dry.

Ulysses could not help looking for a short
time at all these wonderful and beautiful
things. There were many people in the
hall, but no one saw him, for, as we know,
there was a mist all around him which hid
him from them. So he went on to where
the queen was sitting, and knelt down
before her, and put his hands on her knees.
And as he did this, the mist cleared away
from round him, and all the people in the hall
saw him quite plainly.

He said: "O queen, I beg a favour of
you. I pray you, and your husband, and
your children to help me. Send me to my
home, for I know that you help strangers to
travel across the sea."

And when he had said this, he sat down
among the ashes on the hearth. Then said
one of the nobles that were in the ball —
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he was the very oldest man that there was
in all the land: ''King Alcinoiis, do not
let this stranger sit there among the ashes.
Tell him to sit upon a chair, and give
him something to eat and drink/'

Then the king told his eldest son to take
the stranger by the hand and raise him up^
and make him sit down on his own seat.
This the young man did. And a servant
brought a basin and poured water over
Ulysses' hands, and the housekeeper brought
him something to eat and to drink. The
king said: "This man begs a favour of us,
that we may take him to his home. To-
morrow we will have an Assembly, and will
consider how we may best do this. And
now you can go all of you to your homes."
But before they went, Ulysses said: "I
could tell you, my friends, of many troubles
that I have suffered. But first I must eat
and drink; that a man must do, however
unhappy he may be. I will say only this,
when you come together to-morrow, do your
best to help me in this matter. I should
be content to die if I could only see my
home again."

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This they all promised to do, and so de-
parted.

When Ulysses was left alone, the queen
looked at him somewhat more closely, and
she saw that the clothes which he wore
had been made by herself and her maids,
and she said: "From what country have
you come, and who gave you these clothes?''

Then Ulysses told her how he had tra-
velled many miles across the sea on the raft,
and how the raft had been broken, and how
he had got to the shore after swimming for
two days and two nights and more, and
how Nausicaa had found him, and had had
pity on him, and brought him to the city,
The queen said: "I blame my daughter
that she did not bring you with her. That
was what she should have done." "Nay,
lady," said Ulysses, "she would have brought
me, but I would not come, for I did not like
that the girl should be blamed."

Then said the king: "Eat and drink in
peace, stranger. We will do what you
wish, and take you to your home. There
are no men in all the world who can row
better than the Phaeacian youths. You

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will lie down to sleep, and before you
wake they will have carried you to your own
country. They can go to the farthest part
of the world, and can come back the same
day, and not be tired."

Ulysses was glad to hear what the king
said, and he prayed in his heart: ''May the
king do what he promises, and may I come
in peace to my own land/'

Then the queen told the maids to make
a bed ready for the stranger. And they
went with torches in their hands and made
it ready, and came again and said to Ulysses:
"Stranger, your bed is ready." So he fol-
lowed them. Right glad was he to sleep
after all that he had suffered.

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ULYSSES AMONG THE PHAEACIANS

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CHAPTER XII
ULYSSES AMONG THE PHAEACIANS

The next day the Assembly of the people was
held. Many came to it, so that the king's
hall was filled from one end to the other.
For Athene had taken upon her the shape of
the king's herald, and gone through the city,
saying: ''Come, captains and counsellors of
the Phaeacians, and hear about this stranger
who has lately come to the king's palace."
So they came, and they marvelled much
when they saw Ulysses, for Athene had made
him fairer and fatter and stronger.

The king rose in his place, and said:
''This stranger has come to my hall. I do
not know who he is, or whence he comes,
whether from the east or the west. And he
begs us to convey him safely to his home.
Now this, as you know, is a thing that we
have been used from old time to do for
strangers. Go, then, and choose out a ship.

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Let it be new — one that never has been on
the sea before. And pick out fifty and two
rowers. Let them be the best and strongest
that there arc in the country. When you
have done this, come to my hall and feast.
And let the minstrel come also, for the gods
have given him the gift of song, and there
is nothing that is better than song to make
glad the hearts of men." So the chiefs of the
people went and did as the king commanded.
They chose a ship, and they chose rowers,
and moored the ship by the shore. This done,
they went back to the king's hall. And he
had bidden his servants prepare a great feast
for them, eight swine and twelve sheep and
two oxen.

And when the people were ready to begin,
there came two servants of the king leading
the singer by the hand, for he was blind.
They made him sit down in a silver chair in
the middle of the hall; they hung his harp
on a rail that there was above his head where
he could easily reach it. And by his side
they put a table, and on the table a basket
full of good things, and a cup of wine so that
he might drink when he pleased.

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Then the people began to eat and drink,
and when they had had enough, the singer
sang. And what he sang was this: how there
had been a fierce quarrel at a great sacrifice
between Achilles, who was the bravest man
among the Greeks, and Ulysses, who was the
wisest, and how Agamemnon was glad to see
it, because a prophet had told him that when
wisdom and valour should fall out the end of
Troy would soon come. As he sang, Ulysses
held his cloak before his face to hide his tears,
for he was ashamed that the people should see
them. When the song was at an end, he
wiped them away, and sat like the others;
but when the chief called out that it should
be sung again, for indeed it pleased them
much, then he wept again. But the king
was the only man to see it.

After this the king said: "Now, let us go
and have games as is our custom, boxing and
wrestling and running, so that this stranger
may see what we can do.*' The best of the
boxers was the king's eldest son, and he said
to Ulysses: "Stranger, why do you sit there
so sad and silent? Why do you not try your
skill in some game?"

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Ulysses answered: "I am in no mind for
sport and games. I can think of nothing but
how I can get back to my home/'

Then another of the young men, who had
won the prize for wrestling, said: "Well,
stranger, you have not the look of one who is
skilful in boxing and wrestling. I should say
that you were one who travels about to buy
and sell."

Then Ulysses was angry, and said: "That
is a foolish speech. Some men have good
looks, and some can speak wisely. I find
no fault with your looks, but your words
are idle. I know these games right well,
and in old time was skilful in them, but I
have suffered much, both in war and in
many journeys over land and sea. Yet I
will show you what I can do."

And he took up a quoit, heavier than any
of those which the Phaeacians had used,
and sent it with a whirl through the air.
And one of the company — so it seemed, but
it was really Athene in the shape of a man
— marked the place where it fell, and said:
"Stranger, even a blind man could see that
there is no one here to match you in strength."

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Ulysses was glad to hear these words, for
he thought: "Now I have a friend here";
and he said aloud: "Now let any one match
this throw. Ay, and if any one will box
with me, or wrestle with me, let him stand
up. I will even run a race, though in this
I can hardly be the winner, so much have I
suffered on the sea."

Then said the king: "Stranger, you speak
well: we Phaeacians are not good at boxing
and wrestling. Swift of foot we are, and
we love feasts and dances, and music and
gay clothing. Of these things no man knows
more than do we."

This the king said, wishing to make peace.
Also he said: "Now let each one of the
princes give to this stranger two coats, an
inner and an outer, and a talent of gold.
And let the prince whose words made him
angry, give a double gift."

To this they all agreed; and the prince who
had given him offence gave him also a sword,
which had a silver hilt and an ivory scab-
bard. And as he gave it, he said: "Father,
I wish you well; if there was any offence
in my words, let the winds carry it away.

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The gods grant that you may see again
your wife, and your friends, and your own
country!'*

And Ulysses answered: "And I also wish
you well! May you live happily, and never
miss this handsome sword which you have
given me!'*

Then the other princes gave him their
gifts. And the king said to the queen:
"Now let them fetch a chest, the best you
have, and do you put in it two coats, an
outer and an inner. And I will give this
stranger a beautiful cup of gold that is my
own. So will he remember me all the days
of his life, when he sits at the feast and
drinks out of the cup."

So they brought a chest from the queen's
chamber, and all the gifts that the princes
had given to Ulysses were put in it, and
she herself with her own hands put in it
the outer coat and the inner. And when
the chest was filled with these things, she
said to Ulysses: "Now look to the lid, and
fasten it so that no man may rob you as
you sleep, while the ship takes you back
to your native country.'*

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So Ulysses fixed the lid^ tying it with a
very cunning knot that Circe had taught
him. After this he went to the bath.
And as he came from the bath^ Nausicaa
met him, and wondered to see how hand-
some he was, and she said: ''Farewell,
stranger. When you come to your own
country, think of me, for indeed you owe
me your life."

And Ulysses said: "Surely, Nausicaa; I
will honour you as I would honour one of
the goddesses, all the days of my life, for
indeed I owe you my life.'*

Then he went into the hall, and sat down
by the side of the king, and there came in
a steward leading the blind singer by the
hand. Now there had been set before Ulysses
the chine of a wild boar, for this is the dish
which was served to a guest whom his host
wished to honour above all others. And
he took his knife, and cut from it a great help-
ing, and said to a servant: "Now carry this
to the singer, for there is no one whom men
should more honour than him who sings
of the great deeds of famous men.'' So the
servant bore the dish to the singer, and laid

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it upon his knees. After a while, when the
company had had enough of meat and drink,
Ulysses said to the singer: ''You sing right
well of the toil and trouble which the Greeks
had before the great city of Troy. Truly
you could not have done this thing better
if you had been there yourself. Come now,
sing to us of the Wooden Horse which was
made after the device of Epeius, but it was
Athene who put it into his heart. Tell us
also how Ulysses contrived that it should be
dragged up into the very citadel of Troy, after
he had first hidden inside it the bravest
of the Greek chiefs. Sing us now this song,
and I shall know that the gods themselves
have taught you."

Then the minstrel sang how the Wooden
Horse was made, and how Ulysses, with
certain of the bravest of the Greek chiefs,
hid themselves within, and how the rest of
the forces pretended to depart, burning their
camp, and sailing away in their ships, but
they did not sail farther than to a certain
island that there was close by. Also he told
how the people of Troy dragged the horse
within the walls of the city into the public

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square where they used to meet and hold
their Assembly; also how the people sat
round it, and the chief men among them
gave their advice what should be done with
this strange thing. Some said: ''Let us cleave
it open, and see what there may be inside."
Others said: "Let us take it to the brow of
the hill and cast it down;" but some advised
that it should be left where it was, as a
thank-offering to the gods who had delivered
the city from their enemies. And this
counsel prevailed, for it was the doom of
the city that it should be taken by means
of the Wooden Horse.

So he sang, and the heart of Ulysses was
melted within him as he listened, and the
tears ran down his cheeks. But only the
king perceived. And the king said to the
singer: "Cease now from your singing, for
ever since you began, this stranger has not
ceased to shed tears: we are come together
to make merry and to rejoice, and to give
gifts to this stranger, and to send him to
his home." Then he turned to Ulysses,
and said: "Tell us now your name, O
stranger: tell us also from what land you

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come, for if our ships are to take you to
your home, they must know what course
to take that they may carry your thither.
For, indeed, our ships are not as the ships
of other men. They have no need of rudders
or steersmen, but they know of themselves
which way they should go. Tell us therefore
your name, and the name of the land from
which you come. I did perceive that you
wept when you heard the fate of Troy. Had
you, perchance, kinsman, or brother, or friend
among those who perished at Troy?*' Then
said Ulysses: "O king, what shall I tell
you first, and what last, for I have endured
many things. But first I will tell you my
name. Know, then, that I am ULYSSES,
King of Ithaca." And afterwards he told
them the story of all that he had suffered
from the day that he had sailed away from
Troy down to his coming to the island of
Calypso.

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When Ulysses had finished his story, the
king and all his people sat for a time say-
ing nothing. After a while, the king said:
"Ulysses, you shall have your wish; we
will carry you to your home. This we
will do to-morrow, for now it is time for
bed." Then he turned to the princes and
said: "This guest of ours is a brave man,
and has suffered much; let us give him a
special gift to show that we honour him.
He has a chest full of clothes and gold
already; and now let us give him kettles
and bowls to use in his home. These you
may bring to-morrow, and now you can go
to your homes."

The next day the princes brought the
kettles and bowls, and the king stowed them
away with his own hands under the benches
of the ship. When this was finished they

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all went to the palace, and sat down to a
great feast. But Ulysses kept watching the
sun, wishing that the day was finished, so
much did he want to see his home again.

At last he stood up and said: ''O king,
you and your people have been very kind
to me; and now send me home, I beg you.
Let us have the parting cup, and then let
me go." So the king told his squire to
mix the cup. And the squire mixed it, and
served it out. And all the people in the
hall drank, and as they drank they prayed
that the stranger might have a happy return
to his home. And when the cup was given
to Ulysses, he stood up and put it into the
hand of the queen, and said: ''O queen,
farewell; I pray that you may be happy
with your husband, and your children, and
your people." And when he had said this,
he turned and left the palace. The king
sent his squire to show him the way to the
ship; also some of the women who waited
on the queen carried food and wine, and
a rug on which he might sleep in the ship.
The chest, with the clothes and the gold,
was taken down also and put into the ship.

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Then the rowers made all things ready.
They put the rug in the hinder part of the
vessel, and Ulysses climbed into the ship, and
lay down upon it. Then the men unfastened
the ropes which made the ship fast to the
shore, and took their places on the benches,
and began to row. As soon as ever they
touched the water with their oars, Ulysses
fell into a deep sleep. And the men rowed,
and the ship sprang forward more quickly
than a chariot with four horses travels over
the plain. A hawk could not fly through
the air more swiftly.

When the morning star rose in the sky,
the ship came to Ithaca. Now there was a
harbour in the island which the rowers
knew very well. It was sheltered from the
waves, and at the head of it was a great
olive tree, and near the olive tree a cave.
Here the men ran the ship ashore, and they
took up Ulysses in his rug, for he was still
fast asleep, and laid him down under the
olive tree, and by his side they put all his
provisions. After this, they got into their
ship again, and started for home.

After a while Ulysses woke up from his
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sleep. Now Athene had spread a great mist
over all the place, and Ulysses did not know
where he was, so different did it look from
what it really was. And he cried out:
"Where am I? What shall I do? Where
shall I put these goods of mine? Surely
these Phaeacians have not done what they
promised, but have taken me to a strange
land. But first let me see whether they
have left me the things which belonged to
me." So he counted the clothes, and the
gold, and the kettles, and found that nothing
was missing. Still he was in great trouble,
for he did not know where he was. While
he walked to and fro, Athene met him.
She had taken the shape of a handsome
young shepherd. When Ulysses saw her,
he was glad, though, indeed, he did not
know that it was the goddess, not a shep-
herd, that he saw. He said: "Friend, you
are the first man that I have seen in this
country. Tell me where I am, and help
me. Is this an island, or is it part of the
mainland ? ''

Athene said: "You must have come from
a very far country not to know this place,

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for, indeed, it is a country which most men
know. This is the island of Ithaca, a good
land, though it is not a good place for
horses. Yet it is fertile, and gives good
pasture for sheep and goats, and the vineyards
bear good wine/' Ulysses was very glad to
hear this, still he thought it better not to let
the stranger know who he really was. So he
made up this story: "I come from the island
of Crete. I got into trouble, for I killed
the king's son, who would have robbed me
of some of my goods. Then I made a
bargain with certain Phoenicians that they
should take me and my goods either to
Pylos or to Elis. This they would have
done but for the contrary winds which drove
them to this place. So they put me out
of the ship while I slept, and my possessions
with me.*'

When Ulysses had finished his story,
Athene changed her shape again, becom-
ing like a woman fair and tall. And she
laughed, and said: ^^O Ulysses, he would
be a cunning man who could cheat you.
Here you are in your own country again,
and you are still making up these tales about

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yourself. Well, you are the wisest among
mortals, and I am Athene, the goddess of
Wisdom. I have always been used to stand
by you and help you. And so I will do
hereafter. First let us hide these goods of
yours. Afterwards we will consider what
should best be done. But you must be
silent, telling no one who you are. So shall
you come at last to your own again."

Ulysses answered: "O goddess, it is hard
for any man to know you, for you take
many shapes. You were always good to me
when we were fighting against Troy, and
you helped me the other day when I was
among the Phaeacians. But now tell me
truly: What is this place? You say that
it is Ithaca, but it seems to me a strange
country."

Then Athene scattered the mist so that
Ulysses could see the place as it really was,
and he knew it to be Ithaca, and he kneeled
down, and kissed the ground, for he was
very thankful in his heart.

And Athene said: "Now let us hide
away your goods in the cave." So Ulysses
took the clothes, and the gold, and all his

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other possessions, and stored them away in
the cave, and Athene rolled a great stone to
the mouth of the cave to keep them safe.

After this Athene asked him how he
meant to get possession of his kingdom
again. She told him how that there was
a great crowd of princes from Ithaca and
the islands round about, who had come
hoping to marry Penelope, and how they
sat day after day in his palace and wasted his
substance. "And how," said she, "will you,
being one man, prevail over them who are
so many?" "If you will stand by me, and
help me," said he, "I will fight against
a hundred, ay, and against three hun-
dred."

Then said Athene: "I will so change
you that no man shall know you. I will
make the skin of your face and hands
withered and cold, and take the colour out
of your hair, and make your eyes dull. The
Suitors will think nothing of you, and even
your wife and your son will not know you.
Now go to the house of Eumaeus, who
looks after the swine, for he is faithful to
you; I will go to Sparta and fetch home

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your son Telemachus, for he is gone there
seeking news of you/'

Ulysses said: "Why did he go when you
knew all and might have told him? Is
he also to suffer what I have suffered?"
"Nay," answered Athene, "it was only
right that he should bestir himself, look-
ing for his father. Be contented; all will
be weU."

So she touched him with her rod. And
when she touched him, his skin withered,
like the skin of an old man, and his hair
lost its colour, and his eyes grew dim.
And his clothes also looked torn and dirty.
Also the goddess gave him a stag's skin,
very shabby, with the hair worn from it.
And she put a staff in his hand, and a bat-
tered wallet, such as beggars carry, which was
fastened to his shoulders by a rope.

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CHAPTER XIV
EUMAEUS

When Ulysses went away from Ithaca to
fight against the Trojans, he left in charge
of the swine a certain man, whose name
was Eumaeus. He was a slave, but never-
theless he was a king's son, and this was
how he came to be a slave. His father
was king of a certain island, and he had in
his household a Phoenician woman, and this
woman was nurse to his son. She had been
stolen away from her home by some people
from Taphos — the Taphians were great
stealers of men — and sold to the king.
When the child was some five or six years
old, there came a Phoenician ship to the
island, with rings and bracelets and other
fine things which women love, and the
Phoenician woman, because they were from
the same country, made friends with them
and told her story. They said to her that

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they knew her father and mother, and that
they were rich people, and promised, if she
would come with them, to take her to her
old home. Then the woman said that she
would come with them. And that she
might pay them for her passage, and also
have something for herself, she took the
little boy, the king's son, with her. Also
she carried away three gold cups that were
in the house. So the Phoenicians sailed
away with the woman and the child. On
the sixth day she died, and they threw her
body overboard, and carried the child to
Ithaca, where they sold him to the father
of Ulysses.

And now Ulysses went to the place where
this Eumaeus lived and kept the swine.
There were twelve sties round a very big
courtyard, and in each sty fifty swine. Also,
to keep away thieves, he had four watchdogs,
very large and fierce. The swineherd was in
his house, making a pair of sandals; he had
three men who were looking after the swine
in the fields, for though he was a slave, he
had other men under him; a fourth was
driving a fat hog to the city, which was to

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be killed and cooked for the Suitors. When
Ulysses came into the courtyard the four dogs
ran at him. So he dropped his staff, and sat
down on the ground, for dogs, they say, will
not bite a man that is sitting. Yet they
might have hurt him, for they were very
fierce, but Eumaeus heard their barking, and
came out of his house, and drove away the
dogs with stones. Then he said to Ulysses :
**01d man, the dogs had nearly killed you.
That would have been a great grief to me,
and I have grief enough already. My lord
has gone away, and no one knows where he
is; perhaps he is wandering about without
food to eat, and others all the time are eating
the fat beasts that belong to him. But come
into my house, old man, and tell me your

' So Ulysses went into the house, and the
swineherd made him sit down on his own
bed. There was a heap of brushwood, with
the skin of a wild goat spread over it. Ulysses
was glad to find him so kind, and said: '^Now
may the gods reward you for your kindness to
a stranger 1*'
The swineherd answered: "It would be a
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wicked thing not to be kind to a stranger.
But I have little to give. If my master had
stayed at home, I should be better off. He
would have given me a house and land and a
wife. Good masters, and indeed Ulysses was
a good master, give such gifts to servants who
serve them well. And I have served him
well. Once there was not a man in all these
islands who had better flocks of sheep and
herds of cattle and droves of swine than he;
but of late years there has been a great waste
in his house, for the princes of the island
assemble in his house and eat and drink, yes,
and waste in a most shameful way."

Then he went out and took a small pig
from one of the sties, and prepared a meal for
the stranger, and mixed wine for him in a cup
made of ivywood. And Ulysses sat, and ate
and drank. Not a word did he say, for he
was busy thinking how he might punish the
Suitors who were wasting his goods in this
way.

At last he said: '' Friend, who was this
master of yours, who you say has been absent
from his home so long? Perhaps I may
have seen him, for I have wandered over

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many lands, and have seen and known many

men/*

Then said Eumaeus: ^'This is what all
the travellers say, but we hear no truth from
them. There is not a vagabond-fellow comes
here but our queen must see him, and ask
him questions about her husband, weeping all
the while. And you, I dare say, for a cloak
or a tunic, would tell a wonderful story of
your own."

Then said the false beggar: '^ Listen to
me: I tell you that Ulysses will return; yes,
he will come before the next new moon.
And you shall give me a gift such as men
give to those who bring them good news.
You shall give me a coat and a cloak. But,
till my words are found to come true, I will
take nothing from you. I hate the man who
tells lies because he is poor: I would sooner
die than do such a thing myself."

The swineherd answered: "Old man, you
will never get the coat and the cloak from
me. But don't talk about these things any
more. It breaks my heart to think of my
dear master. And now I am in trouble
about my young master, his son. For he

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has gone to some strange places, hoping to
get news about his father. Surely he has
lost his wits to do such a thing. For the
Suitors, I hear, lie in wait for him to kill
him as he comes back. And so all my
master's house will perish. But let these
things be. Tell me now, old man, who you
are, and from what country you come.''

Ulysses said: "It would take a long time
to tell you all my story. We might sit
here, and eat and drink for a whole year,
while I told you of all my adventures. But
something you shall hear.

"I am a man of Crete, and my father's
name was Castor. He had other sons, whose
mother was a free woman; but my mother
was a slave. While he lived he treated me
just as he did my brothers, but when he
died they gave me a very small share of
his goods, and took away my home from
me. Nevertheless, I did well for myself, for
I was brave, and my neighbours thought
well of me, so that I married a rich wife.
There was not a man in the country who
was fonder of fighting than I was — yes, even
of taking part in an ambush, a thing which

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tries a man's courage more than anything
else. Nine times did I go with my ship

— for I had a ship and a crew of my own

— on various adventures. The tenth time
I went with the king of Crete to fight
against the city of Troy. And when we
had taken the city, I came back to the
country with the king. For a month I
stopped at home. And then I went to
Egypt; and this time I had nine ships, for
there were many who were willing to go
with me. We had a fair wind, and got
to our journey's end in four days. But
then my men did much mischief to the
people of the land, laying waste their fields,
and carrying away their wives and children*
And when I wished to stop them, they
would not listen to me. Then the Egyptians
gathered an army and came upon us. They
killed many, and they took the rest prisoners.
But I ran up to the king of Egypt, where
he sat in his chariot, and begged him to
have mercy on me. And he listened to me.
So kind was he that I stayed with him for
seven years, and became a rich man. Would
that I had been content! But in the eighth

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year a Phoenician merchant came to the place,
and promised me riches without end if I
would go with him. So I gathered all that
I had together, and went with him. For a
year I stayed with him. Then he put me
in his ship, meaning to take me to Africa,
and to sell me there for a slave. But the
ship was wrecked on the way, and I was
the only one on board that was not drowned.
I caught hold of the mast, and floated on it
for nine days; and on the tenth I came to
the country of King Pheidon. And there I
heard tell of Ulysses; for the king was
keeping his goods for him while he was
on a journey to inquire of an oracle. From
this place I took my passage in a merchant
ship, but the sailors planned to sell me for
a slave. So they bound me, and put me in
the hold of the ship. But one day, when
they were having their supper on ' shore,
I loosed myself from my bonds, and leapt
into the sea, and, swimming to land, so
escaped."

Ulysses, we see, had always a tale ready.
The swineherd said: *'Your story makes me
feel for you, for, indeed, you must have

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suffered much. But I don't believe what
you tell me about my master, King Ulysses.
All the strangers that come to this place
have something to say about him; for they
know that it is what we want to hear. I
live here alone, and take care of the swine.
But every now and then the queen sends
for me, saying that some one has come
bringing news of the king. So I go, and
I find the man, with a crowd of people
round him asking him questions. Some of
them really wish that the king would come
home, but there are many who hope that
he has perished, because they sit here idle
and waste his goods. But I am not one
of those who ask questions; I never have
done it since a certain Aetolian cheated me
with the story that he told. He had killed
a man, he said, and had been obliged to
leave his home, and I treated him kindly,
and gave him the best that I had. And
the fellow told me that he had seen my
master with the king of Crete, and that he
was then busy mending his ships, which had
been damaged by a storm. He would come
back, the fellow said, at the beginning of

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summer, or, at the latest, at harvest time,
and would bring great riches with him. So,
old man, do not try to please me with idle
tales about Ulysses. I pity you, and try to
help you because you are poor, but I wish
to hear no lies about my master.''

"Well," said Ulysses, "you are very slow
to believe. But now listen to me; if your
master comes back, as I say he will, then you
shall give me a coat and a cloak. And if
he does not come back, then your men may
throw me down from a rock into the sea, as a
warning to others that they should not tell
false tales."

The swineherd said: "This is idle talk.
What good would it do me to kill you?
What would people say of me, if I took a
stranger into my home, and then slew him?
How should I ever pray to the gods again, if
I had done such a thing? But enough of
this. It is supper time, and I wish that my
men had come back that we might sup
together."

While he was speaking the men came back.
And the swineherd said to them: "Fetch
a fat pig from the sty, for I have a stranger

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here, and I should like to give him a good
meal"

So they fetched a five-year-old hog, and
they dressed the meat for their supper. And
the swineherd gave to Ulysses the chine, for
this was the best portion.

Now it was a very cold night, and it rained
without ceasing, for the wind was blowing
from the west, and this commonly brings
rain in those parts. And after supper Ulysses
thought he would try his host, to see what
he would do ; so he told this story : —

''A certain night when we were fighting
against Troy, we laid our ambush near the
city. Menelaiis and Ulysses and I were the
leaders of it. We sat hidden in the reeds,
and the night was cold, so that the snow
lay upon our shields. Now all the others
had their cloaks, but I had left mine in
my tent. When the night was three parts
spent, I said to Ulysses, who lay close by me:
'Here I am — I, without a cloak. I a leader,
to perish of cold I* Now Ulysses was always
ready, knowing what to do. 'Hush!' he said,
'lest some one should hear you.' Then he
said to the others: 'I have had a dream,

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which makes me sure that we are in danger.
We are a long way from the ships, and these
are too far off us. Let some one run to King
Agamemnon, and ask him to send us more
men.' Then Thuas stood up, and said, 'I will
run and tell him,' and he threw off his cloak,
and ran. And I took the cloak, and slept
warmly in it."

The swineherd said: ''Old man, that is a
good tale. And to-night, too, you shall have
a cloak to keep you from the cold. But
to-morrow you must put on your old rags
again!" And he gave him his own cloak.

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ULYSSES AND HIS SON

The next day, while the swineherd was making
the breakfast ready, Ulysses heard a step out-
side, and because the dogs did not bark, he
said: '^ Friend, here comes some one whom
you know, for the dogs do not bark/' And
while he was still speaking, Telemachus stood
in the doorway. It should be told that he
had landed from his ship at the nearest place
that there was to the swineherd's cottage, for
he knew that he was a good man and true.

When the swineherd saw Telemachus, he
dropped the bowl that he had in his hand, for
he was mixing some wine with hot water for
him and his guest to drink with their break-
fast, and ran to him, and kissed his head, and
his eyes, and his hands. As a father kisses an
only son who comes back to him after being
away for ten years, so did the swineherd kiss
Telemachus. The beggar, for such Ulysses

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seemed to be^ rose from his place, and would
have given it to the young man. But Tele-
machus would not take it. So they three sat
down, and ate and drank. And when they
had finished, the young man said to the
swineherd: "Who is this?*' The swineherd
answered: "He is a stranger, who has asked
me for help. But now I pass him over to you,
for you are my master, and I am your servant."

"Nay,** said Telemachus, "this cannot be.
You call me master; but am I master in my
own house ? Do not the Suitors devour it ?
Does not even my mother doubt whether she
will not forget the great Ulysses who is her
husband, and follow one of these men? I
will give this stranger food and clothes and
a sword; but I will not take him into my
house, for the Suitors are there, and they are
haughty and insolent."

Ulysses heard the two talking, and he
said : " But why do you bear with these men ?
Do the people hate you, that you cannot
punish these insolent fellows as they deserve?
Have you no kinsman to help you? I would
sooner die than see such shameful things done
in my house."

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Telemachus answered: ''My people do
not hate me, but they are very slow to help.
As for kinsmen, I have none. For my grand-
father, Laertes, was an only son, and so was
my father Ulysses, and I myself have neither
brother nor sister. So I have no one to stand
by me, and these wicked men spoil my goods,
with none to stop them, ay, and they even
seek to kill me/'

Then he said to the swineherd: ''Go to
my mother the queen, and tell her that I
have come back safe. But see that no one
hears you; and I will stay here till you
return,"

So the swineherd departed. And when
he was gone, there came the goddess Athen^,
and she had the likeness of a tall and fair
woman. Telemachus did not see her, for it
is not every one who can see the gods; but
Ulysses saw her, and the dogs saw her, and
whimpered for fear. She made a sign to
Ulysses, and he went out of the house. Then
she said: "Do not hide yourself from your
son ; tell him who you are, and plan with him
how you may slay the Suitors. And remem-
ber that I am with you to help you.''

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Then she touched him with her golden
wand. And all at once he had a new tunic
and a new coat. Also he became taller and
more handsome, and his cheeks grew rounder,
and his hair and his beard grew darker.
Having done this, she went away, and
Ulysses went again into the cottage. Much
did Telemachus marvel to see him, and he
cried : —

"Stranger, you are not the same that you
were but a few moments ago. You have
different clothes, and the colour of your skin
is changed. Can it be that you are a god and
not a man ? "

"I am no god," said Ulysses; "I am your
father, the father for whom you have been
looking."

But TelemSfchus could not believe what
he said. "You cannot be my father," he
answered. "No man could do what you
have done, making yourself old and young
as you please, and changing your clothes in
this way. Just now you were a shabby
beggar, and now you are as one of the gods
in heaven."

Ulysses answered: "Ay, but it is in very
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truth your father who has come back to his
home after twenty years. As for what you
so wonder at, it is Athene's work; it is she
who makes me at one time like an old beggar
in shabby clothes, and at another like a young
prince, richly clad."

When he had said this he sat down, and
Telemachus threw his arms round his father's
neck and shed many tears. After a while
Telemachus said to his father: "Tell me now,
father, how you came back."

Ulysses said: "The Phaeacians brought me
in a ship, and set me down on the shore of
this island, and they brought many things
with me, handsome presents that were made
to me. These have I hidden in a cave. But
now let us plan how we may slay these
Suitors. Tell me how many there are of
them. Should we make war upon them our-
selves, or shall we get others to help us?"

Telemachus said: "My father, you are, I
know, a great warrior, but this thing we
cannot do. These men are not ten, or twice
ten, but more than a hundred. And they
have a herald and a minstrel, and certain
attendants."

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Then said Ulysses: "To-morrow you must
go to the palace, and take your place among
the Suitors, and I will come like to a shabby
beggar. If they behave themselves badly to
me, endure it. Their time is nearly come;
they shall soon be punished as they deserve.
Be prudent, therefore. Also, when I give
you a sign, then take away all the arms that
hang in the hall, and stow them away in
your chamber. And if any man ask you
why you do this, say that they want cleaning,
for the smoke has soiled them, and they are
not such as Ulysses left them when he went
away to Troy. And you might say also that
it is not well to have weapons in a hall where
men are used to feast, for the very sight of
the steel makes men ready to quarrel. But
keep two swords and two spears close at
hand. These will be for you and me. And
mind that you tell no one that I have come
back — not my father, nor the swineherd, no,
nor Penelope herself.*'

While they were still talking, the swine-
herd came back from the city. But before
he came into the house, Athene changed
Ulysses back again into the shape of the old

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ULYSSES AND HIS SON

beggar man, for it was not well that he
should know the truth until everything was
ready.

TelemSchus said to him: "Have you
brought back any news from the city? Have
the Suitors who went out in a ship to kill
me come back, or are they still watching
for me?''

The swineherd said: "I cannot tell you
this for a certainty. I thought it better to
ask no questions in the city. But I saw a
ship coming into the harbour, and I saw a
number of men in it who had shields and
spears. It may be that these were the Suitors,
but I am not sure.''

Then TelemSchus looked at Ulysses, but
he was careful not to meet the eye of the
swineherd.

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CHAPTER XVI

OF THE DOG ARGUS AND OTHER
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CHAPTER XVI
OF THE DOG ARGUS AND OTHER THINGS

The next day Telemachus said to the swine-
herd: "I will go to the city, for my mother
will not be easy till she sees my face. You
will take the stranger with you that he may
beg of any that may have a mind to
give.

"Yes/* said Ulysses, "that is what I desire.
If a man must beg, 'tis better to beg in the
city than in the country. And do you go
first; I will follow a little later, when it will
be warmer, for now I shall feel cold under
these rags.''

So TelemSchus went on to the city, and
very glad were his mother and the nurse to
see him. He looked after certain business
that he had to do, but all the time he had
one thought always in his mind, how he and
his father might kill the Suitors.

About noon the swineherd and Ulysses
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came to the city. Now just outside the wall
there was a fountain, and there the two came
across a certain Melanthius, who looked after
the goats. When he saw the swineherd and
his companion, he said: "Why do you bring
beggars to the city ? we have enough of them
already.*' And he came up and kicked Ulysses
on the thigh, thinking to push him over.
But Ulysses stood firm. For a while he
thought to himself: "Shall I knock out this
fellow's brains with my club?" But he
thought it better to endure. So the two
went on to the palace. Now at the door
of the courtyard there lay a dog, Argus by
name, which had belonged to Ulysses in old
time. He had reared him from a puppy,
feeding him with his own hand; but before
the dog had come to his full growth, his
master had gone away to fight against Troy.
While Argus was strong, men had used him
in their hunting, when they went out to kill
roe-deer and wild goats and hares. But now
he was old no one looked after him, and he
lay on a dunghill, and the lice swarmed on
him. When he saw his old master, he knew
him at once, and wagged his tail and drooped

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his ears, for he was too weak to get up from
the place where he lay.

When Ulysses saw him, the tears came
into his eyes, and he said to the swineherd:
"Now this is strange, Eumaeus, that so good
a dog, for I see that he is of a good breed,
should lie here upon a dunghill."

The swineherd answered: "He belongs to
a master who died far away from his home.
Once upon a time there was no dog more
swift or more strong; but his master is
dead, and the careless women take no count
of him. When the master is away, the
slaves neglect their work. Surely it is true
that a slave is but half a man.'* While the
two were talking together, the dog Argus
died. He had waited twenty years for his
master to come back, and he saw him at
last.

Then the swineherd and the beggar went
into the hall where the Suitors sat at their
meal. When TelemSchus saw them, he
took bread and meat, as much as he could
hold in his two hands, and bade a servant
carry them to the beggar. Also, he bade
the man tell him that he could go round

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among the Suitors and ask alms of them.
So Ulysses went, stretching out his hand as
beggars do. Some of the Suitors gave, for
they saw that he was tall and strong, for all
that he looked old and shabby. But when
he came to Antinoiis, and had told him his
story^ how he had been rich in old days, and
had had ships of his own, and how he had
gone to Egypt and had been sold as a slave
to Cyprus, the young man mocked him,
saying: "Get away with your tales, or you
will find that Ithaca is a worse place for you
than Egypt or Cyprus."

Ulysses said to him: "You have a fair face
but an evil heart. You sit here at another
man's feast, and yet will give me nothing."

Then Antinoiis caught up the footstool
that was under his feet, and struck Ulysses
with it. It was a hard blow, but he stood
as firm as a rock. He said nothing, but he
was very angry in his heart. Then he went
and sat down at the door of the hall. And
he said to those who sat in the hall: "Hear,
all ye Suitors of the queen I Antinoiis has
struck me because I am poor. May the
curse of the hungry fall upon him, and bring

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him to destruction before he come to his
marriage day/'

But Antinoiis cried: ''Sit still, stranger,
and eat what you have got in silence, or I
will bid the young men drag you from the
house, ay, and tear your flesh off your
bones."

But even the Suitors blamed him: ''You
did ill to strike the stranger; there is a curse
on those that do such things. Do you not
know that sometimes the gods put on the
shape of poor men, and visit the dwellings
of men to see whether they are good or bad ?"
But Antinoiis did not care what others
thought about him, so full of naughtiness
was his heart. As for Telemachus, he was
full of anger to see his father so treated.
But he kept it to himself; he did not shed
a tear, no, nor speak a word; but he thought
of the time when the Suitors should suflFcr
for all their ill-doings. But Penelope, when
she heard of it, prayed that the gods might
strike the wicked man. "They are all
enemies,'' she said to the dame that kept
the house, "but this Antinoiis is the worst
of all." Then she said to the swineherd:

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''Bring this stranger to me; I should like to
talk with him. Perhaps he has heard some-
thing of Ulysses, or even has seen him, for I
hear that he has wandered far/'

The swineherd answered: "Be sure, my
queen, that this man will charm you with
his talk. I kept him in my house for three
days, and he never stopped talking of what
he had seen and of his adventures. He
charms those that listen to him, as a man
that sings beautiful songs charms them. And,
indeed, he does say that he has heard of
Ulysses, that he has gathered much wealth,
and that he is on his way home.''

When Penelope heard this, she was still
more eager to talk with the stranger. "Call
him," she said, "and bring him here to me at
once. O that Ulysses would come back,
and punish these wicked men for all the evil
that they have done! Tell the stranger that
if I find he tells me truth, I will give him a
new coat and cloak."

Then the swineherd said to Ulysses: "The
queen wants to speak to you, and ask you
what you have heard about her husband. And
if she finds that you have told her the truth,

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she will give you a new coat and cloak; yes^
and give you leave to beg anywhere you please
about the island."

Now Ulysses did not think that it was
quite time to let his wife know who he
was, and he was afraid that if he went to
talk to her she would find it out. So he
pretended to be afraid of the Suitors, and
said to the swineherd: "I would gladly
tell the queen all that I know about her
husband; but I am afraid of the wicked
young men, of whom there are so many.
Even now, when that man struck me, and
that for nothing, there was no one to stop
him. Telemachus himself would not, or
could not. Tell the queen, therefore, that
I am afraid to come now, but that if she will
wait till the evening, then I will come."

Then the swineherd went to the queen to
give her this message. And when she saw
that the beggar was not with him she said:
"How is this that you have not brought
him? Is he ashamed to come? The beg-
gar who is ashamed does not know his
trade."

The swineherd answered: "Not so, lady,

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but he is afraid of those haughty and
violent young men; and, indeed, he is
right. So he would have you wait till the
evening before he comes, and then you can
speak with him alone. It will be better so/'

The queen said: "The stranger is wise,
and it shall be as he says. Truly, these
men are more insolent than any others in
the world.''

Then the swineherd went close up to
Telemachus and whispered to him: "I am
going back to the farm, to look after things
there. Take care of yourself and the stranger.
There are many here who are ready to do
you harm. May the gods bring them to
confusion!"

Telemachus answered: "Go, father, as you
say, and come again to-morrow, and bring
with you beasts for sacrifice."

So the swineherd went away, and the
Suitors made merry in the hall with dancing
and singing.

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CHAPTER XVII

OF THE BEGGAR IRUS AND OTHER
THINGS

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CHAPTER XVII

OF THE BEGGAR IRUS AND OTHER
THINGS

This same afternoon there came a beggar
from the town, whom the young men called
Irus, because he carried messages for them,
giving him this name because it is Iris who
takes the messages of the gods. This fellow
was very stout and tall, and a mighty man
to eat and drink, but he was a coward.
When he saw Ulysses sitting at the door
of the palace, he said: "Old man, get away
from that place, or I will drag you from
it. The young men would like me to do
so now, but I think it a shame to strike
an old man."

Ulysses said: "There is room here for
you and me; get what you can, I do not
grudge it you; but do not make me angry,
lest I should hurt you.'*

But Irus thought to himself: "Here is
a man whom I can easily get the better
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of;** and he said: "Get away from your place,
or else fight with me."

Antinoiis heard what he said, and he
called to the Suitors and said: "Here is
good sporty the best that I have ever seen
in this place. These two beggars are going
to ifight. Come, my friends, and let us
make a match between them."

Then the young men got up from their
seats to join in the sport. And Antinoiis
said: "Here are two haunches of goats —
we should have had them for supper. Now
if these two beggars will fight, we will give
the conqueror one of the haunches for his
own supper, and he shall eat it with us, and
he shall always have a place kept for him."

Ulysses said: "It is a hard thing for an
old man to fight with a young one. Still
I am ready. Only you must all swear that
you will not give me a foul blow while I am
fighting with this fellow."

Telemachus said: "That shall be so, old
man;" and all the Suitors agreed. Then
Ulysses made himself ready to fight. And
when the Suitors saw his thighs, how strong
and thick they were, and how broad his

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shoulders, and what mighty arms he had,
they said to each other: "This is a strong
fellow; there will be little left of Irus when
the fight is over/* As for Irus, when he
saw the old beggar stripped, he was terribly
afraid, and would have slunk away, but the
young men would not suffer it. Antinoiis
said: "How is this, Irus? Are you afraid
of that old beggar? If you play the
coward, you shall be put into a ship, and
taken to King Echetus, who will cut off
your ears and your nose, and give them to
his dogs/'

So the two men stood up to fight. And
Ulysses thought to himself: "Shall I kill
this fellow with a blow, or shall I be con-
tent with knocking him down?" And this
last seemed the better thing to do. First
Irus struck Ulysses, but did not hurt him
with his blow; then Ulysses struck Irus,
and the blow was on the man's jaw-bone.
And Irus fell to the ground, and the blood
poured out of his mouth. Then Ulysses
dragged him out of the hall, and propped
him against the wall of the courtyard, and
put a staff in his hand and said: "Sit there,

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and keep away dogs and swine from coming
in at the door; but do not try to lord it
over men, no, not even over strangers and
beggars, lest some worse thing should happen
to you/*

Then Antinoiis gave Ulysses the goat's
haunch, and another of the Suitors, whose
name was Amphinomus, took two loaves
from the table, and gave them to him.
Also he gave him a cup of wine, and him-
self drank his health, saying: ''Good luck
to you, father, hereafter, for now you seem
to have fallen on evil days."

And Ulysses had a liking for the young
man, knowing that he was better than his
fellows, and he tried to give him a warn-
ing. So he said: "You have some wisdom,
and your father, I know, is a wise man.
Now listen to me: there is nothing in the
world so foolish as man. When he is pros-
perous, he thinks that no evil will come
near him; but when the gods send evil,
then he can do nothing to help himself.
Look at me; once I was prosperous, and
I trusted in myself and in my kinsfolk, and
see what I am nowl Trust not in robbery

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and wrong, for the gods will punish such
things sooner or later. You and your
fellows here are doing wrong to one who
is absent. But he will come back some
day and slay his enemies. Fly, therefore,
while there is time, and be not here to
meet him when he comes."

So Ulysses spoke, meaning to be kind to
the man. And the man felt in his heart that
these words were true; nevertheless he went
on in the same way, for his doom was upon
him that he should die. And now Athene
put it into the heart of Penelope that she
should show herself to the Suitors, and this
the goddess did for this reason. First, that
the hearts of the young men should be still
more lifted up in them with pride and folly,
and next that they should be moved to give
gifts to the queen, as will be seen; and,
thirdly, that the queen might be more
honoured by her husband and her son. So
Penelope said to the old woman that waited
on her: "I have a desire now for the first
time to show myself to the Suitors, though
they are quite as hateful to me as before.
Also, I would say a word to my son, lest he

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should have too much to do with these
wicked men, and that they should do him
some harm/'

The old woman said: "This is well
thought, lady. Go and show yourself to the
Suitors, and speak to your son, but first wash
and anoint your face. Do not let the tears
be seen on your cheeks: it is not well to be
always grieving/'

But the queen said: *'Do not talk to me
about washing and anointing my face. What
do I care how I look, now that my husband
is gone? But tell two of my maids to come
with me, for I would not go among these men
alone."

' So the old woman went to tell the maids.
But Athene would not let the queen have her
own way in this matter. So she caused a
deep sleep to fall upon her, and while she
slept, she made her more beautiful and taller
than she was before.

When the queen awoke, she said to herself:
"O that I might die without pain, just as
now I have fallen asleep. For what good is
my life to me, now that my husband is
gone?"

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Then she got up from her bed, and washed
her face, and went down to the hall, and stood
in the door, with a maid standing on either
side of her. Never was there a more beautiful
woman, and every one of the Suitors prayed
in his heart that he might have her for his
wife.

First she spoke to her son: "Telemachus,
when you were a child, you had a ready wit;
but now that you are grown up, though you
are such to look at as a king's son should be,
tall and fair, yet your thoughts seem to go
astray. What is this that has now been done
in this house — this ill-treating a stranger?
It would be a shame to us for ever, if he
should be hurt.'*

TelemSchus answered: "You do well to
be angry, my mother. Nevertheless, I am
not to blame; I cannot have all things as I
would wish them to be, for others are stronger
than I am, and will have their way. But as
for this fight between the stranger and Irus,
it did not end as the Suitors would have had it.
The stranger had the better of him, and Irus
now sits by the gate, wagging his head, and
cannot raise himself on to his feet, for the

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stranger has taken all the strength out of him.
I wish in my heart that all the Suitors were
in as evil case as he/'

Then said one of the Suitors to Penelope:
**0 queen, if all the Greeks could behold
you, there would be such a crowd in this hall
to-morrow as never was seen, so fair are you
above all the women in the land."

Penelope said: "Do not talk to me of
beauty; my beauty departed when my lord,
Ulysses, went to Troy. If only he would
return! Then it would be well with me.
I remember how, when he departed, he took
me by the hand, and said: *0 lady, not all
the Greeks that go this day to Troy will
come back, for the men of Troy, they say, are
great spearmen, and skilled in shooting with
the bow, and good drivers of chariots. And
so I know not whether I shall come back to
my home or perish there before the walls of
the city. Do thou, therefore, care for my
father and for my mother while I am away;
care for them as you do now, and even more.
And bring up our son, Telemachus. And
when he is a bearded man, then, if I am dead,
marry whom you will.' So my husband spoke.

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And now the time is come. For he is dead,
for it is ten years since Troy was taken, and
yet he has not come back; and Telemachus
is grown to be a man; and I am constrained
to make another marriage, although I am
unhappy. And I have yet another trouble.
My Suitors are not as the Suitors of other
women. For the custom is that when a man
would woo a lady, he brings sheep and oxen
and makes a feast for his kindred and friends,
but these men devour my substance, and make
no payment for it."

So spoke the queen; and Ulysses was glad
to see how she beguiled the men, drawing
gifts from them, while she hated them in
her heart.

Then said Antinoiis: "Lady, we will give
you gifts, nor will you do well to refuse
them. But know this, that we will not
depart from this place till you have chosen
one of us for your husband.'^

To this all the Suitors agreed. And every
man sent his squire to fetch his gift.
Antinoiis gave an embroidered robe, very
handsome, with twelve brooches and twelve
clasps of gold on it. Another gave a chain

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of curious work, with beads of amber; a
third a pair of ear-rings; and yet another
a very precious jewel. Every one gave a
gift. So the queen went back to her
chamber*

Then said one of the Suitors to his fellows,
scoffing at the stranger: "See now our good
luck in that the gods have sent this man to
us. How does the light of the torches
flash on his bald head!" And he turned
to Ulysses, and said: "Stranger, will you
serve me as a hired servant at my farm
among the hills? Your wages will be sure,
and you shall work, gathering stones, and
building walls, and planting trees. And you
shall have clothes, and shoes for your feet,
and bread to eat. But you do not care, I
take it, to work in the fields; you like
better to beg your bread and to do no
work."

Ulysses answered: "Young man, I would
gladly try my strength against yours. We
two might each take a scythe in his hand and
mow grass when the days grow long
in the spring, fasting meanwhile. Or we
might plough against each other^ driving

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teams of oxen in a field of four acres. Then
you should see whether I could plough a
clean and straight furrow. Or if Zeus
should order, would that you and I might
stand together in the front rank! You
think overmuch of yourself; but, verily, if
Ulysses should come back, this door would
not be wide enough for you and your fellows
to escape."

The man was very angry to hear such
words. "Old man," he cried, "you had
better not say such things, lest I do you a
mischief. Has the wine stolen away your
wits, or is it your way to prate in this
idle fashion, or are you puffed up by having
got the better of Irus the beggar?"

And he caught up a footstool, and threw
it at Ulysses, but Ulysses stooped down and
escaped it. But the footstool struck a young
man who was carrying round the wine, and
hurt his hand so grievously that he fell back,
and lay on the floor groaning.

Then said one of the Suitors to his neigh-
bour: "I wish this fellow would go away.
Ever since he came hither there has been
strife and quarrelling in the place. Now

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we shall have no more pleasure in the
feast." But Telemachus said: "It is plain
that you have had meat and drink enough.
Now let us all go to rest." And they agreed
and went away.

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HOW ULYSSES WAS MADE KNOWN

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CHAPTER XVIII
HOW ULYSSES WAS MADE KNOWN

Ulysses said to his son: "Now is the time
to do the thing of which I spoke to you,
that you should take away the swords and
spears from the hall, and lay them up in
the armoury/'

So TelemSchus said to the nurse: "Now
shut up the maids in their rooms till I
have taken away the arms from the hall
and put them in the armoury. They are
foul with the smoke, and it is time that
they should be cleaned."

The nurse said: "I wish that all your
father's goods were as well looked after. But
who shall carry a light for you, if you will
have none of the maids?"

Telemachus answered: "This stranger shall
do it. He has eaten my bread, and he should
do some work for it."

So the nurse shut up the maids in their
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rooms, and Ulysses and his son set them-
selves to carry the arms, the spears and swords
and shields, from the hall to the armoury.
Nor did they need any one to light them,
for Athene went before them, holding a
golden lamp in her hand. No one saw her
or the lamp, but the light they saw. And
TelemSchus said: "This is a strange thing,
father; the walls and the beams and the
pillars are bright as with fire."

Now Ulysses knew that this was Athene's
doing, and he said: "Say nothing, nor ask
any question about it."

And when they had finished the carrying
of the arms, Ulysses said to the young man:
"Go now to your room and sleep; I wish to
talk to your mother."

So Telemachus went to his room and lay
down to sleep, and Ulysses sat in the hall
alone, thinking how he should slay the
Suitors. After a while, Penelope came down
and sat by the fire. Her chair was made of
silver and ivory. The maids also came down
and cleared away the dishes and the cups, and
put fresh logs upon the fire. Then the queen
said: "Bring another chair, and a cushion,

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that this stranger may sit down and tell me
his story/' So they brought a chair and a
cushion, and Ulysses sat down. Then said
the queen: "Stranger, tell me. who you are.
What was your father's name, and from what
country do you come?" Ulysses answered:
"Lady, ask me what you will, but not my
name or my country. To think of these
brings tears to my eyes; and I would not that
any one should see me weeping. They will
say, *This is a foolish fellow, or he has let the
wine steal away his senses.'*'

The queen said: "I too have had many
sorrows and have shed many tears since the
day when my husband left me, going with
the Greeks to fight against the men of Troy.
And now I know not what to do for the
troubles that are come upon me. For the
princes of this island of Ithaca, and of the
other islands round about, come hither, asking
me to marry. And they sit here day after
day, and devour my lord's substance. And I
do not know how to escape them. For three
years, indeed, I put them off, for I said that
I could not marry till I had woven a shroud
for the old man, my husband's father. And
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I worked at the weaving of this in the day,
and at night I undid the weaving. But one
of the maids told the thing to the Suitors, and
I could not help finishing the work. And now
I know not what to do, for my father and
mother are urgent with me that I should
marry, and my son sees all his substance eaten
up before his eyes, which these Suitors cat
and drink in his house. Then tell me,
stranger, of what race you are, for you did
not come from a rock or an oak tree, as the
old fables have it."

Ulysses said: "Lady, if you will know
these things, I will tell you, though it grieves
me to the heart. I come from a certain island
that is called Crete. It is a fair land, and
rich, with many people in it, and ninety cities.
I was the younger son of the king, and when
my father died, then my elder brother became
king in his place. And when the Greeks
went against the city of Troy, my brother
went with them. Some ten days after he had
departed there came a stranger, who said that
he was Ulysses, and that he, too, was sailing
for Troy, and that the winds had carried him
out of his course. And he asked for my

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brother, who, he said, was his friend. So I
gave food and wine to him and to his people.
Twelve days did they stay, for the wind blew
from the north and hindered their sailing;
but on the thirteenth day it blew from the
south, and they departed."

When the queen heard this, she was
much moved, and shed many tears. Ulysses
pitied her when he saw her weep, but his
own eyes were dry, as hard as if they had
been of horn or iron. Then Penelope said:
"Stranger, let me ask you one. question, that
I may be sure that this man was in very truth
my husband. Tell me now what were the
clothes that he wore, and whether he had any
companion with him.'*

Now this was a hard question, for twenty
years had passed since these things happened,
and a man might well have forgotten what
clothes a stranger had worn. And even
Ulysses himself might not bear them in mind,
for women remember such things more readily
than do men.

The beggar said: **I remember that he
had a cloak, sea-purple in colour, made of
wool, and double. And I remember also

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that it was clasped with a brooch of gold,
and that the brooch was of this pattern — a
dog holding a fawn. Wonderfully wrought
it was, so eager to lay hold was the dog,
and so did the fawn struggle to be free.
And his coat was white and smooth. But
whether he had brought these things from
his home, I know not. Many men gave
him gifts. I myself gave him a sword and
a coat. And he had a comrade with him,
a herald, older than he, with curly hair and
dark skin."

When Penelope heard this, she wept
aloud, for she remembered every one of
these things, and knew that the beggar had
indeed seen her husband. "You tell a true
story, old man,'* she said. "These clothes
that you speak of Ulysses had ; I folded them
with my own hands, and put them away in
his baggage. They were what he would
wear at feasts and the like; others he had
for travelling. And the brooch with the
dog and the fawn I gave him. But, alas!
I shall never see him any more.*'

^Say not so, dear lady,*' said the beggar.
"Do not think of Ulysses as if he were

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dead; he will surely come again. And,
indeed, he is not far away. He is with
King Pheidon, and will soon be coming
back, and will bring much treasure with
him, enough to make this house rich for
many generations. King Pheidon showed
me these things. Ulysses himself I did not
see, for he had gone to inquire of the
god at Dodona, where there is the sacred
oak, and the god answers by the voice
of the doves that roost in its branches.
He went to ask — so the king told me —
whether he should come back openly or
secretly. But be sure, lady, that he will
come, and before this month is out."

Penelope said: "May your words be
found true, old man. If these things come
to pass, you shall have gifts in plenty; you
shall not want any more, as long as you
live. But I have many doubts. But now
the maids shall make a bed for you with
a mattress and blankets, so that you may
sleep warmly till the morning. And they
sfhall wash your feet."

But Ulysses said: "I thank you, lady;
but I will not have my bed made with

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blankets and mattress. I do not care for
these things. Since I left the land of Crete,
I have not used them. Nor do I care for
the bath. Nevertheless, if there is some old
woman among your servants, some one
whom you trust, she shall wash my feet,
if you will."

Penelope said: ''Such an old woman there
is in the house. She nursed my husband,
and cared for him, and carried him in her
arms, ever since he was born. She is weak
with old age; still she will wash your feet.*'

So the queen called the nurse, and said
to her: "Come, nurse, wash this stranger's
feet. He is one that knows your master
Ulysses."

The nurse, when she heard the queen
so speak, put her hands before her face,
and wept. And she said to the stranger:
"Willingly will I do this, both for the
queen's sake and for yours, if you bring
news of my dear master. Yes, and because
you are like him. Many strangers have
come hither, but never saw I one that was
so like Ulysses."

Ulysses said: "Say you so? 'Tis what
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others have said before, that Ulysses and I
were much alike/'

So the nurse made ready the bath; and
Ulysses turned away from the fire, and sat
looking into the darkness, for he feared lest
when the old woman should take his leg in
her hands she should find a great scar that
there was on it. Now the story of how the
scar came about is this : —

When Ulysses was a lad of some eighteen
years, he went to Parnassus to see his mother's
father, Autolycus. It was this man who had
given him his name, for when he was newly
born the nurse had laid him on his grand-
father's knee, saying: "Give this child a
name." And Autolycus had said: "Let his
name be Ulysses, and when he is grown up,
let him come to me, and I will give him a
gift that will be worth having." So Ulysses
went to see his grandfather, and he and his
grandmother and their sons were very glad
to see him, and they made a great feast for
him. The next day they all went hunting,
and Ulysses went with them. They climbed
up the side of the mountain Parnassus, and
the time was about sunrise. The beaters

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came to a glade in the forest, and the dogs
went before, following a scent on which they
had come, and with them came Ulysses and
his uncles, the sons of Autolycus. And the
dogs brought them to the lair of a wild boar.
A very thick place it was, so covered that
neither sun nor rain could come through, and
there was a great quantity of dead leaves in
it. When the boar, which was a very great
beast, was roused by the baying of the dogs
and by the trampling of the hunters' feet, he
sprang up from his lair, and his hair bristled
on his back, and his eyes shone with a very
fierce light. Now Ulysses was not used to
hunting of this sort, for there were no wild
boars in Ithaca, and, maybe, he did not
know how great was the danger. But he
was a very brave lad, and very eager for
praise, and he rushed in before the rest of
the company, holding his spear in his hand,
for he greatly wished to be the one who
should kill the beast. But the boar was too
quick for him, for it charged him, thrusting
aside the spear, and made a great wound in
his leg, just above the knee, striking him
with his tusk sideways. But the bone was

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not touched. Nor did Ulysses fail, though,
indeed, he was greatly hurt; for he stabbed
the boar in the shoulder, running the spear
into the beast's breast, and it fell dead on
the ground. Then his uncles bound up the
wound, staying the blood with such things
as were used for that purpose, and also sing-
ing a song of healing. So they went back
to the house; and they kept the lad till the
wound was healed, and they sent him away
with many splendid gifts. But the scar of
the wound was left.

When the nurse felt the scar, she knew
that the stranger was Ulysses, and she said:
"O Ulysses, O my child, to think that I
knew you not." And she looked towards
the queen, as meaning to tell her what she
had found. But Ulysses laid his hand upon
her mouth, and said in a whisper: "Mother,
would you be my death? I am come back
after these twenty years, but no one must
know till I have got all things ready."

Then the old woman held her peace. After
this Penelope talked with him again. Many
things she said to him, and among them was
a dream that she had dreamt. "I thought,"

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she said, ''that I saw a flock of geese in the
palace, and that an eagle came into the hall
and killed them all, and that I heard a voice
saying: 'These geese are the Suitors, and the
eagle is your husband."' "That/' said the
stranger, "is a good dream." After this she
said: "To-morrow I must make my choice
among the Suitors, and I have promised to
bring out the great bow that was Ulysses',
and he that shall draw the bow most easily,
and best shoot an arrow at the mark, he shall
be my husband."

"That, too, is well," answered Ulysses.
"Let this trial of the bow be made at once.
Truly, before one of these men shall bend
the bow, Ulysses shall come back and shoot
at a certain mark."

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THE TRIAL OF THE BOW

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CHAPTER XIX
THE TRIAL OF THE BOW

Ulysses lay down to sleep in the gallery
of the hall. He lay with the undressed
hide of a bull under him, and he took to
cover him fleeces of sheep that had been
killed for sacrifice and feast. Also the dame
that kept the house laid a mantle over him.
But he could not sleep, for he was think-
ing about many things, chiefly how he,
being one, with but some two or three to
help him, could slay all the company of
Suitors.

While he turned from side to side think-
ing over those things, Athene came and
stood over his head in the likeness of a
woman, and said to him: "Why do you
not sleep? Here you are in your own
home, and you find that your wife is true
to you, and that your son is just such as
you could wish. What troubles you?"

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Ulysses answered: "These things that you
say, O goddess! are true. But I think
how I, being one against many, shall be
able to slay the Suitors. This troubles me;
and this also, how, if I slay them, shall I
escape the avengers of blood?"

The goddess answered: "Truly, your faith
is weak. Should you not trust in the gods,
for they are stronger than men? The gods
are on your side; I am with you, and will
keep you to the end. And now sleep, for
to wake all the night is vexation of spirit."

So she poured sleep on his eyes, and left
him.

When he awoke up in the morning, he
took up the fleeces which had covered him,
and laid them on a seat in the hall, and
the bull's hide on which he had slept he
carried outside. And as he stood, he looked
up to the sky and said: "O Zeus, send
me now a sign, if indeed, in bringing me
back to my country, thou meanest to do
me good?"

And even while he was speaking there
came thunder from the sky, and Ulysses
was glad to hear it. Also there came an-

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other sign to him» and this was a word
which was spoken by a woman at the mill.
Twelve women there were who ground com
for the palace, wheat and barley. Eleven
of them were sleeping, for they had finished
their task; but this one was weaker than
the rest, and had not finished her part, but
still was grinding. And when she heard
the thunder, she cried: "O Zeus, may this
be a sign of good to me! may it mean
that I shall never grind wheat and barley
any more for the Suitors!*'

And now TelemSchus came down from
the room where he slept, and said to the
nurse: "Did you give to our guest food
and drink and bedding as was fitting?''

The nurse said: "The man ate and drank
as much as he would, but a mattress and
rugs he would not have. He slept on a
bull's hide, and had the fleeces of sheep to
cover him. But he had also a mantle over
him."

After this the swineherd came, driving
three fat hogs for the day's feast. He said
to Ulysses: "Stranger, how have these young
men behaved to you?"
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Ulysses said: "May the gods deal with
them as they have dealt with me!*'

And after the swineherd came Melanthius
the goatherd, bringing goats for the day's
feast. When he saw Ulysses, he spoke
roughly to him: "Old man, are you still
plaguing us with your begging? We shall
not part, I take it, till we have made trial
of each other with our fists. Your beg-
ging is past bearing. Are there not other
feasts to which you can go?"

Last came the neatherd, whose name was
Philaetius, and he was driving a barren
heifer; and this also, besides the pigs and
the goats, was for the feast. He said to
Ulysses: "Friend, I hope that you may have
better luck in the time to come; for now
I see that you have many troubles. May-
be Ulysses is wandering about, clothed in
rags as you are and begging his bread. I
weep to think of it. Ay, it may be that
he is dead. That would be a great grief.
Long ago he set me to take care of his
cattle, and they have increased under my
hand, yet it vexes me to see how these
strangers are ever devouring them in his

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own home. Long ago I would have fled
to some other place^ for the thing is past
bearing, but that I hope that Ulysses will
yet come again to his own."

Ulysses said to him: ^'Philaetius, I see
that you are a good man. Now listen to
what I say: I swear that this day, while
you are still here, Ulysses will come home.
You shall see it with your eyes — yes, and
the end of the Suitors also." And now the
Suitors came and sat down, as they were
wont, to their morning meal. And the
servants took to Ulysses a full share of meat
and drink, for this was what TelemSchus
had bidden them do. When Ctesippus saw
this — he was one who cared neither for gods
nor men — he said: "Is this fellow to fare
as well as we fare ? See now what gift I will
give him!" And he took the foot of a
bullock out of a basket, and threw it at
Ulysses. But he moved his head to the
left, and the foot flew by, and made a mark
on the wall.

When TelemSchus saw this, he cried:
"*Tis well for you, Ctesippus, that you did
not hit the stranger. Truly, if you had hit

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him, I had pierced you through with
my spear, and your father would have
had to make ready your burying, not your
wedding/*

''That is well said/' cried another of the
Suitors; '"tis a shame to do wrong either
to TelemSchus, or to his guest. Neverthe-
less, he must bid his mother choose out
from among us the man whom she will
marry, so that we may not waste our time
any more."

TelemSchus answered: "My mother may
marry whom she will; but never will I
force her to leave this house."

When he said this the Suitors laughed,
but their laughter was not as of men that
were glad. And there came a darkness over
the place, so that one of the men cried:
''It is this stranger that brings bad luck
with him. Let us send him away, for the
hall seems to grow dark while he is here."

By this time Penelope had taken down
the great bow of Ulysses from the peg on
which it hung, and she drew it out of the
case in which it was kept, and laid it across
her knees and wept over it. Then, after a

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while^ she rose^ and carried it to the hall,
where the Suitors sat feasting. With the
bow she brought also the quiver full of
arrows, and, standing by the pillar that stood
under the dome, she said: —

"You, who come here day after day, and
devour my substance, pretending that you
wish to marry me, see here; look at this
bow and these arrows; they belong to the
great Ulysses, and with these I will try
you. Whoso among you that shall most
easily bend this bow with his hands, and
shall shoot best at the mark which my son
shall set up, him will I take for my hus-
band; him will I follow, leaving this house,
which I shall never see again except in my
dreams/'

Then TelemSchus set the mark. And
when he had set it, he made as if he would
have drawn the bow himself; and this he
would have done, for he was strong and
worthy of his father; but Ulysses signed
to him that he should not do it. So he
said: "I am too young, and have not grown
to my full strength; you that are older
than I should try first.''

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Then a certain priest who was among
the Suitors, Leiodes by name, made trial of
the bow. He was the best among them,
and did not like their ways; but for all
that he stayed with them. He took the
bow, and tried to bend it, wearying himself
with it, making his hands sore, for they
were soft and not used to work. At last
he said: ''I cannot bend the bow; and I
fear that it will bring grief and pain to
many this day."

But Antinoiis cried: *'Why do you say
such words?" And he bade the goatherd
fetch a roll of fat from the kitchen, that
they might make the string soft with it.
And the Suitors rubbed the fat upon it,
trying to soften it. But they could not
bend it; they tried all of them, but it was
in vain, till only two were left, Antinoiis and
Eurymachus, who were indeed the strongest
of them all.

While the Suitors were trying the bow,
Ulysses went out into the court, and spoke
to the swineherd, and the man who herded
the cattle, taking them by themselves, and
said to them: "What would you do if

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Ulysses were to come back to his home?
Would you fight for him, or for the
Suitors?'*

They both answered with one voice:
"We would fight for him."

Then said Ulysses: "Look now at me:
I am Ulysses, and I have come back after
twenty years. You are glad in your hearts
to see me; but I know not whether there
is any one else besides you who is glad.
Come now, be brave men to-day and help
me, and I will reward you; you shall have
wives and lands and houses, and you shall
live near me, and TelemSchus shall take
you for comrades and brothers. And if
you want a sign that I am indeed Ulysses,
look at this scar; this is the wound which
the wild boar made on the day when I
went hunting with my grandfather.*'

The men wept for joy to hear this; and
they kissed Ulysses, and he kissed them.
Then he said to the swineherd: "When
the Suitors have tried the bow, bring it
to me. Also bid the women keep within
doors, and not move out if they hear the
noise of battle." To the herdsman of the

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cattle he said: ''Lock the doors of the hall,
and fasten them with a rope/'

Then he went back to the hall. Eury-
machus had the bow in his hand, and was
warming it at the fire. Then he tried to
draw it, but could not. And he groaned
aloud, saying: ''Woe is me! I am grieved
not for the loss of this marriage, for there
are other women in Greece who may be
wooed, but because we are all weaker than
the great Ulysses. This is, indeed, a shame-
ful thing.'' But Antinoiis said: "Do not
lose heart. This day is holy to the god of
Archers, and it does not please him that we
are about this business. We will try again
to*morrow, and first we will sacrifice to the
god."

They were all pleased to hear these words,
hoping that they might yet be able to draw
the bow. But Ulysses said: "Let me try
it; I should like to know whether I have
still the strength which I had when I was
young."

The Suitors were very angry that the
stranger should dare to think of such a
thing; but Penelope said that the man

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should try the bow, and that she would
give him great gifts if he could bend it.
Then said Telemachus: "Mother, this bow
is mine, and I will give it or refuse it, as I
shall see fit. And if it pleases me that this
stranger shall try it, then it shall be so, and
no man shall say nay. But now do you
and your maids go to your rooms; these
things are for men to settle."

This he said because he knew what would
soon happen in the hall, and he would not
have her there. She wondered to hear him
speak with such authority, but she made no
answer to him, and she went out of the hall,
taking her maids with her.

Then Telemachus gave the bow to the
swineherd, and bade him take it to Ulysses.
The Suitors were angry, and would have
stopped him, but Telemachus said: "Take
it; it is mine to give or to refuse,'' and the
swineherd took it to Ulysses. And when
he had done this, he went to the nurse, and
bade her keep the women within doors
whatever they might hear.

Then Ulysses took the bow in his hand,
and felt it to see whether it had suffered

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any hurt; and the Suitors laughed to see
him do it. And when he found that it
was without a flaw, then he bent it, and
strung it, and he twanged the string, and
the tone of it was shrill and sweet as the
cry of a swallow. After this he took an
arrow from the quiver, and laid the notch
upon the string, and drew the bow to the
full, still sitting in his place. And the arrow
went straight to the mark. Then he said
to TelemSichus: "Come, stand by me; there
is yet another feast to be kept before the sun
goes down." And the young man stood by
his side, armed with a spear.

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THE SLAYING OF THE SUITORS

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THE SLAYING OF THE SUITORS

Ulysses cried aloud: "This work is done;
and now I will try at another mark/' As
he spoke^ he aimed his arrow at Antinoiis.
The man was raising a cup to his lips.
There was not a thought of danger in his
mind: who could have dreamt that any
man, though he were ever so strong and
brave, should dare such a thing, being but
one against many? The head of the arrow
passed through the neck of Antinoiis; and
the blood gushed out of his nostrils, and he
fell, overturning the table that was near him.
All the Suitors, when they saw him fall,
leapt from their seats, but when they looked,
all the arms had been taken down from the
walls. For a moment they doubted whether
the stranger had killed the man by chance
or on purpose; but Ulysses cried out: "I
am Ulysses! Dogs, you thought that I
should never come back. Therefore you

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have devoured my goods, and made suit to
my wife, though I was yet living, and have
had no fear of god or of man before your
eyes. And now a sudden destruction has
come upon you all."

When they heard these words, the Suitors
trembled for fear. There was only one man
among them who could so much as speak.
This was Eurymachus. He said: "If you
are indeed Ulysses of Ithaca, you speak the
truth. We have done great wrong to you.
But the man who was most to blame lies
dead here. It was Antinoiis who was the
chief of your enemies. What he desired
was not merely marriage with your wife,
but to destroy your house, and to be king
of Ithaca. But we will pay you back twenty
times for all that we have taken of yours."

Ulysses said: "Talk not of paying back.
You shall die this day, all of you."

Eurymachus said: "This man will not
stay his hand, but will kill us all with his
arrows. Let us make a rush for the door,
and we will raise a cry in the city, and this
archer will soon have shot his last."

As he spoke, he rushed on with a two-
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THE SLAYING OF THE SUITORS

edged knife in his hand; but Ulysses shot
an arrow at him as he came, and he fell
forward dead. And Telem^chus slew an-
other with his spear; but he could not
draw out the spear from the wound, lest
the enemy should take him at a disad-
vantage as he stooped.

Now it was plain that when Ulysses should
have shot away all his arrows, the Suitors
would have the better of them. So Tele-
machus ran to the armoury, and fetched
down four helmets, and four shields, and
eight spears. With these he armed him-
self and the two servants — that is, the swine-
herd and the herdman of the cattle. Now
while Ulysses had yet arrows in his quiver,
the Suitors held back, for the three bravest
of them had been slain, and they had
neither armour nor weapon. But the goat-
herd saw their need, and he crept secretly
up to the armoury and brought down
thence twelve helmets and shields and as
many spears. / When Ulysses saw this, he
cried to Telemachus: "There is treachery,
my son. Have the women done this
thing, or is it the goatherd?*' Telemachus

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answered: "It is my fault, father. I left
the door of the armoury open/* While
some of the Suitors were arming them-
selves, the goatherd went again to the
armoury, but the swineherd and his com-
panion followed him, and caught him as
he was taking arms, and bound him with
a rope. As soon as they had done this^
they hastened back to the hall and stood
by the side of Ulysses. Then a certain
Agelaiis said to the other Suitors: ''Friends,
we can overcome these four if we join to-
gether. Let six of us throw our spears all
at once." This they did, but the spears
went wide of the mark. But the spears
of the four went not wide, for each slew
his man, and this they did again and again.
On the other hand, both TelemSchus and
the swineherd were wounded, but not to
their great hurt. The swineherd slew
Ctesippus, and as he smote him, he cried:
"Take that for the ox-foot which you gave
to our guest." And all the courage that
was in the Suitors left them, and they
were as a flock of birds which is scattered
and torn by eagles.

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Leiodes, the priest, prayed Ulysses that
he would spare him, saying that he had
done no wrong, but had only served at the
altar. But Ulysses answered: "It is enough
that you have served at the altar of these
wicked men, and that you have made suit
to my wife." And he slew him without
mercy. But the minstrel and the herald
he spared. "Go,** said he, "and sit by the
altar." So they went and sat by the altar,
fearing lest they also should be slain.

So the Suitors were slain, every one of
them. And Ulysses bade the women come
and wash the hall and the tables with water
and smoke them with sulphur. And he
said to the nurse: "Go now, and tell the
queen that her husband has come back."

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CHAPTER XXI
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The nurse went to the queen's bed-room
with the good news. She ran with all the
speed that she could, even stumbling in her
haste. She found the queen asleep, for she
had been awake for a long time, and was
weary. And now the nurse stood by her
head, and said: '"Awake, dear child, and see
what you have longed to see for so many
years. Ulysses has come back, and has slain
the wicked men who troubled you."

But Penelope answered: "Surely, dear
nurse, the gods have taken away your senses.
Why do you mock me, waking me out of
the sweetest sleep that I have ever had since
the day when Ulysses sailed away to Troy?
Go to the other women, and leave me. If
one of them had done this to me, I would have
punished her, but you I cannot harm."

The nurse answered: "I do not mock
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you, dear child. It is indeed true that Ulysses
is here. The stranger with whom you talked
is he. Your son knew it, but hid the matter
that the Suitors should be taken unawares."

Then Penelope was glad, and fell upon the
old woman's neck, saying: "Tell me now the
truth. Has he indeed come back? And
how did he, being but one, contrive to slay
so many?"

"That," said the nurse, "I do not know.
We women sat together amazed, hearing the
groaning of men that were being slain. Then
some one fetched us, and I found Ulysses
standing among the dead, and these lay piled
one on the other. Truly you would have
rejoiced to see him, so like was he to a lion,
stained as he was with blood and the labour
of the fight. And now the women here are
washing the hall, and cleansing it with sul-
phur. But come; now is the end of all your
grief, for the husband whom you so longed to
see has come back."

But Penelope began again to doubt. "Dear
nurse," she said, "be not too sure. Great,
indeed, would be my joy if I could see him.
But this cannot be he; it is some god who

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has taken the shape of a man that he may
punish the Suitors for the wrong that they
have done."

Then said the nurse: "What is this that
you say? That your husband cannot have
come back, when he is already in the house?
Truly you are slow to believe. Now hear
this proof, a thing that I saw with my own
eyes. It is the scar of the wound that a wild
boar gave him, when he was yet a lad. I saw
it when I washed his feet, and I would have
told it to you, but he put his hand on my
mouth and would not suffer me to speak, for
so he thought it best."

Penelope said: "I am in great doubt.
Nevertheless, I will go into the hall and see
the dead Suitors, and the man, whoever he
be, that has slain them."

So she dressed herself and went down, and
sat in a dark part of the hall, while Ulysses
stood by the pillar, waiting till his wife should
speak to him. But she was in great doubt.
Sometimes she seemed to know him, and
sometimes not, for he was still in his rags,
not having suffered the women to give him new
clothes.

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TelemSchus said: "Mother, you arc indeed
an evil mother, for you sit away from my
father, and will not speak to him. Surely
your heart must be harder than a stone."

Ulysses answered: "Let be, Telemachus;
your mother will know the truth in good
time. But now let us hide this slaughter for
a while, lest the friends of these dead men
come against us. Let there be music and
dancing in the hall. Men will say, 'This is
for the wedding of the queen.' *'

So the minstrel played and the women
danced. Then Ulysses went to the bath, and
washed himself, and put on new clothes, and
came back to the hall; also Athene made him
fairer and younger, such as he was when he
left his home to go to Troy. And he stood
by his wife, and said: "Surely, O lady, the
gods have made you harder of heart than all
other women. Would any other wife have
kept away from her husband, when he came
back after twenty years?"

But Penelope still doubted. Then Ulysses
said: "Hear now, Penelope, and know that
it is indeed your husband whom you see. I
will tell you a thing that you will remember.

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There was an olive there in the inner court
of this house, which had a trunk of about the
bigness of a pillar. Round this I built a
room, and I roofed it over, and put doors
upon it. Then I lopped all the boughs of the
olive, and made the tree into a bedpost. And
I joined the bedstead on to this post, and
adorned it with gold, and silver, and ivory.
Also I fastened it together with a band of
leather which had been dyed with purple:
whether the bedstead is still in its place, or
whether some one has moved it — but it was
not an easy thing to move — I do not know,
but this was as it used to be in old time.''

Then Penelope knew that he was indeed
her husband; and she ran to him, and threw
her arms about him, and kissed him, saying:
"Pardon me, my lord, that I was so slow to
know you; I was afraid, for men have many
ways of deceiving, lest some one should come,
saying falsely that he was my husband. But
now I know that in truth you are he and not
another."

So they wept over each other, and kissed
each other. Thus did Ulysses come home at
last after twenty years.

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OF LAERTES

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OF LAERTES

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CHAPTER XXII
OF LAERTES

The next day Ulysses said to his wife: "You
and I have suffered many things for many
years. You wearied for my coming back,
and feared that I might be dead, and I was
kept from coming. And now we are to-
gether again, but there are some things still
to be done. I see that the Suitors have
wasted my flocks and herds, devouring them
at their feasts. My loss I must make up.
Some I will take from other lands, where
my enemies live, and some shall be paid back
to me by the fathers of the men who have robbed
me. But now I will go and see my old father,
who is very sad, I know, thinking that
I shall never return. And there is another
thing of which I must speak. The people
of Ithaca will soon hear how the Suitors have
been slain, and there will be great anger in
their hearts, for some of them had sons and

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brothers among the men who are dead. Do
you, therefore, and your maids keep close to
your own rooms. Do not look out, nor ask
for news. Only wait till I shall set every-
thing right."

Then Ulysses put on his armour, and took
his spear and his sword. His son, and the
swineherd, and the keeper of the cattle did
the same; and the four went to the place
where the old man Laertes lived, Ulysses
leading the way. It was a farm which the
old king had cleared, breaking up the moor-
land, and cutting down the forest, and was
now rich and fertile. Round the old man's
cottage were huts in which his slaves livedo
and in the cottage itself was an old woman
of Sicily, who looked after him very faithfully
and lovingly.

Ulysses said to his son and to the two
herds: "Go into the house, and make ready
a meal for mid-day, killing one of the pigs.
I will find the old man, my father, where
he is at work on the farm, and will see
whether he knows me or not." So he put
off his armour, and laid down his spear and
sword, and went to the vineyard, for he

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OF LAERTES

thought he should find the old man there.
Now all the men that worked on the farm
had gone on an errand to fetch stones for
building up the gaps in the vineyard wall.
So the old man was left alone. Ulysses saw
him as he stood hoeing round the stock of
a vine. He had on a coat that was soiled
with earthy and patched and shabby. He
wore also leggings of leather that the briars
and thorns should not hurt him, and hedger's
gloves on his hands^ and a goatskin cap on
his head.

And when Ulysses saw the old man, his
father, how feeble he was, and bowed with
years, and sad, he stood still under a pear
tree that there was in the place, and his eyes
were blinded with tears. He doubted for a
while whether he should go up to the old
man and throw his arms round him, and kiss
him, and tell him who he was, and how he
had come back, or whether he should try
him, and see whether or no he knew him.
And this seemed to be the better of the two.
So he came near him as he stood hoeing the
ground by the vine-stock, and said: "Sir,
you know well how to work an orchard or

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THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

a vineyard; all is going well here. 'Tis
plain to me that there is neither seedling,
nor fig tree, nor vine, nor olive, nor pear,
nor plot of herbs in the garden that you have
not cared for. But there is no one, I see,
to care for you, to look after your old age,
or to see that you are decently clad- You
are no idle servant that your master should
neglect you; and, indeed, I take it that you
are not a servant at all. You have not the
look of such, but you are tall and shaped
like a king. Such a one as you should have
good food, and the bath when he will, and
a soft bed. Tell me, now, whose servant are
you? Whose is this orchard that you are
working? But first tell me, is this truly the
land of Ithaca ? I asked this of a man that
I met on the way, and the churl seemed
tongue-tied, for he did not answer me a
word. And another question I would will-
ingly have asked him, but that he did not
even stay to hear it. And this question was
about a certain friend of mine in old days,
for I desired to know whether he was alive
or dead. And now, old sir, let me ask this
same question of you. Years ago there came

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to my house a certain man, and was my guest.
I loved him much — never has there been one
of all the strangers that I have seen whom I
loved so well. This man said that he was
born in Ithaca, and he said also that his
father's name was Laertes, and that he was
king of Ithaca. Many days did I keep him
in my house, and when he went away, I gave
him splendid gifts — several talents of gold, and
a great silver bowl, worked with flowers, and
twelve cloaks, and as many coats."

When the old man heard this, he wept
aloud: "It is so, stranger; you have come
to the land of Ithaca. But, alas! it is in
the hands of evil men. If you had found
him of whom you speak, even my son,
then truly we would have given you gifts
such as you gave to him, and requited
your kindness as was fitting. But tell me
this: how many years have passed since you
took my son into your house? — for, indeed,
it was my son who was your guest. Alas I
he has had evil fortune. He has died far
from his friends and his country, for either
the fish of the sea have devoured him or
the ravens have pecked out his eyes, or the

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wild beasts have torn him; but his wife,
the faithful Penelope, did not close his
eyes, nor weep over his body. Tell me
this, and tell me also who you are, and
from what country you have come, and
who was your father, and whether you
travelled hither in a ship of your own, or
were brought in the ship of another?"

Then Ulysses answered, telling this tale,
for a tale he always had ready for those
that asked him: "I come from the land of
Sicily, and I was carried hither by a storm.
And as for the time of your son's coming
to my house, know that it was four years
ago. We thought that he would have good
luck when he went, for all the signs were
good, and I was glad that it should be so,
and sent him on his way with good cheer and
with great gifts."

When he heard these words, the old man
Laertes was overborne with grief, and he
stooped down and caught up the dust from
the ground, and poured it on his white
head, sitting and groaning the while. And
when Ulysses saw this, his heart yearned
towards the old man, and there was a sting-

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ing pain of tears in his nostrils, so that he
could no more refrain. And he fell on the
old man's neck, and held him close, and
kissed him, saying: "My father, my father,
look at me, for I am your long-lost son.
I have come back at last after twenty
years. And I have slain the Suitors in my
hall, paying them back in full for all the wrong
that they have done."

But Laertes stared at him, doubting
whether the thing was indeed true, and
said: "If you are indeed my son Ulysses,
come back after all these years, show me
some proof that may make me sure.'*

Then Ulysses answered: "Look now at
this scar which the wild boar made when
I went hunting with my mother's father
long ago on the mountain of Parnassus.
That is proof enough; but I will give you
yet another, for I will tell you of the trees
which you gave me many years ago in this
orchard. I was a little lad, running after
you, and you gave me ten apple trees and
thirteen pears, and forty fig trees, and fifty
rows of vine. And these I remember grew
ripe at different times."

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When the old man heard these words,
his knees failed under him for very joy,
and he threw his arms about his son, and
his son clasped him close. But when his
spirit revived in him, he said: "This is
well that the Suitors have suffered for their
evil deeds. Truly there are gods in heaven,
but I fear greatly that the men of Ithaca
and from the islands round about should
gather an army, and come against us, for
these men had kindred among them."

Ulysses answered: "Fear not, I will see
to this. But now come to the house, for there
a meal has been made ready for us."

So they went to the house. And the old
man went to the bath and was anointed
with oil, and was vested in a fine cloak.
Athene also — for she was near at hand —
made him broader and taller, so that his
son wondered to see him, and cried: "Surely
one of the gods that live for ever has done
this thing for you."

After this they sat down to the meal; but
before they began, came the old steward,
Dolius by name, coming back from his
work, and his tall sons with him. And

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when they saw Ulysses, they wondered who
he might be; but Ulysses cried from his
place: ''Sit down, father, and eat; and
you, my men, wonder no more. Here is
the meal ready for you, and we would not
begin till you had come/'

Then Dolius came near, and caught his
master's hand, and kissed it at the wrist and
said: "Oh, my dearest lad, so you have
come back at last to them who longed for
you so sorely! Welcome to you! The
gods themselves have sent you home; may
they give you blessings without end. Does
the queen know of your coming, or shall
we send a messenger to tell her?"

Ulysses answered: "She knows it; but
think not of other things. Let us eat and
drink."

So they ate and drank, and were of good
cheer.

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CHAPTER XXIII

HOW THERE WAS PEACE BETWEEN
ULYSSES AND HIS PEOPLE

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CHAPTER XXIII

HOW THERE WAS PEACE BETWEEN
ULYSSES AND HIS PEOPLE

Now all this time there went the news
through the town how the Suitors had been
killed. And the people came from all parts
to the king's palace, crying and mourning;
and they took up the dead bodies and carried
them away and buried them. And the bodies
of them that came from the islands round
about, they gave to the fishermen that they
might carry them each to his home. And
when they had done this, they gathered
together in the great square of the town till
it was filled from one end to the other.

Then stood up Eupeithes, who was father
to Antinoiis, the man who was first killed by
Ulysses, and said: '^ Friends, this man has
done great evil to this land and this people.
He took away with him many brave men in
his ships when he went to Troy; twelve
ships he took, and there were fifty men in

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each. All these he has lost; not one will
you ever see again. But he himself has come
back. Now, therefore, let us take vengeance
on him, and on them that have joined them-
selves to him, before they flee to some other
land. It will be a shame to us for ever and
ever, if we sit still and suffer the men who
have murdered our sons and our brothers to
go free. For myself, I would rather die than
suffer such disgrace. Let us go, therefore,
before they take ship and escape."

Then Medon the herald stood up in the
Assembly, and Phemius the singer with him,
and said: "Listen now to me, men of Ithaca:
all that Ulysses did to the Suitors, he did by
the will of the gods. I myself saw one of
them stand by his side — he seemed like to
Mentor, but I know that he was a god — and
he cheered him on and helped him as he
fought, and he turned aside the spears of the
Suitors.'*

Then a certain prophet stood up, a wise
man, who knew all things that had been,
and all that were yet to come to pass, and he
said: "Listen to me, men of Ithaca, these
dreadful things are the harvest, but you sowed

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the seed. For when the wise Mentor told
you what you should do, that you should keep
your sons back from doing this evil, you
would not hear him. You suffered them to
waste your king's wealth, and to make suit
to his wife, laughing in their hearts, and
thinking that he would never come back.
See now the end. Listen, therefore, to me.
Do not go against this man, lest you also
should perish.'*

So the wise man spoke, and some listened
to him, but more than half sprang to
their feet, and shouted for the battle. So
they armed themselves for the fight, and
followed Eupeithes. Meanwhile Athene in
heaven said to Zeus, her father: "What is
thy will, my father? Must there be still
more of war and of the shedding of blood?
or wilt thou command that there be peace
between Ulysses and his people?"

And Zeus answered: "My daughter, order
it as thou wilt. It has been of thy doing
that Ulysses has taken vengeance on the
Suitors; now see that there be peace be-
tween him and his people. Let them for-
get that their sons and brothers have been
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slain; and that they be the more ready to
forget, see that they have plenty and pros-
perity in their land/'

Then Athene sped down from heaven to
earth, that she might bring these things to
pass.

Meanwhile they that sat in the house of
Laertes had finished their meal, and Ulysses
said: "Let some one go out and see what
has been done, lest these people come upon
us before we are ready." So one of the sons
of Dolius went out, and lo! the crowd of
armed men was hard at hand, and he cried
out to Ulysses: "They are coming. Let us
arm."

So they arose and armed themselves.
Twelve they were in all — Ulysses and his
son, and the swineherd and the herd serving
at the table; and Dolius with his six sons,
and old Laertes. And Athene came in the
shape of Mentor.

Ulysses said to his son: "My son, now
you take your place for the first time in
the line of battle. Bear yourself therefore
worthily, and shame not your father and
your father's father."

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And TclemSchus said, and when he spoke
the light of battle was in his eye: "My father,
you shall see what is in the heart of your son ;
never will I shame my father and my father's
father/'

Then the old man cried aloud in his joy:
"Now I thank the gods that I have lived
to see this day, for my son and my son's
son contend who shall bear himself more
bravely in the battle."

Then Athene said to the old man Laertes:
"And pray to the father of gods and men
that he may strengthen your arm, and be
you the first to cast your spear."

So the old man prayed; and then he cast
his spear; at Eupeithes, the leader of the
rebels, he cast it, and smote him on the
helmet and broke through the brass, and
pierced his brain. Heavily did he fall to
the ground, and his armour rang about him.
After this Ulysses and his son charged at
the rebels, and Athene also lifted up her
voice; and the others fled for fear of the
heroes and of the voice. And as Ulysses
would have followed them, Zeus cast down
a thunderbolt from heaven, and it fell at

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the feet of Athene. And when Athene saw
it, she cried: "Hold your hand, lest you
move the anger of Father Zeus/'

So she came forward, having the shape
and voice of Mentor, and she spoke to the
people, and bade them remember how Ulysses
and his father before had been good kings,
and how the Suitors had behaved very badly,
and had suffered as they deserved. "And
now,*' she said, "he is willing to forget all
that is past, and to rule over you as a just
man should. Make your peace with him/'
And she herself inclined their hearts to do
this thing. So Ulysses and his people were
made friends again.

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Forty-seven stories illustrating the heroism of those brave
Americans who fought on the losing side in the Civil War. Himior
and pathos are found side by side in these pages which bear evi-
dence of absolute truth.

BLSOF. SIDE LIGHTS OH AMERICAN HISTORY.

This volume takes a contemporary view of the leading events in
the history of the country from the period of the Declaration of
Independence to the close of the Spanish-American War. The
result is a very valuable series of studies in many respects more
interesting and informing than consecutive history.

GATE. THE GREAT WORLD'S FARM. Some Account of
Nature's Crops and How they are Sown. By Selina Qaye.
12mo. niustrated. xii + 365 pages.

A readable account of plants and how they live and grow. It
is as free as possible from technicalities and well adapted to
young people.

GREEITE. PICKETT'S GAP. By Homer Greene. 12mo. Illus-
trated. vii + 288 pages.

A story of American life and character illustrated in the pe>
sonal heroism and manliness of an American boy. It is well told,
and the lessons in morals and character are such as will appeal to
every honest instinct.

HAPGOOD. ABRAHAM LIITCOLF. By Norman Hapgood.
12mo. Illustrated, xiii + 433 pages.

This is one of the best one-volume biographies of Lincoln, and a
faithful picture of the strong character of the great President, not
only when he was at the head of the nation, but also as a boy and
a yoimg man, making his way in the world.

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HAPOOOD. OBOROS WASHIHGTOH. By Norman Hapgood
12mo. Illustrated, xi + 419 pages.

Not the semi-mythical Washington of some biographers, but a
clear, comprehensive accoimt of the man as he really appeared in
camp, in iiie field, in the councils of his country, at home, and in
society.

HOLDSH. REAL THINGS IIT FATURB. A Reading Book of
Science for American Boys and Girls. By Edward S. Holden.
Illustrated. 12mo. xxxviii + 443 pages.

The topics are grouped under nine general heads: Astronomy,
Physics, Meteorology, Chemistry, Geology, Zo5logy, Botany, The
Human Body, and The Early History of Mankind. The various
parts of the volume give the answers to the thousand and one
questions continually arising in the minds of youths at an age
when habits of thought for life are being formed.

HUPPORB. SHAKESPEARE IF TALE AFD VERSE. By Lois
Grosvenor Hufford. 12mo. ix + 445 pages.

The purpose of the author is to introduce Shakespeare to such
of his readers as find the intricacies of the plots of the dramas
somewhat difficult to manage. The stories which constitute the
main plots are given, and are interspersed with the dramatic
dialogue in such a manner as to make tale and verse interpret each
other.

HUGHES. TOM BROWF'S SCHOOL DATS. By Thomas Hughes.
12mo. Illustrated, xxi + 376 pages.

An attractive and convenient edition of this great story of life
at Rugby. It is a book that appeals to boys everywhere and
which makes for mAnli'ness and high ideals.

HUTCHIFSOH. THE STORT OP THE HILLS. A Book about
Moimtains for General Readers. By Rev. H. W. Hutchinson.
12mo. Illustrated, xv + 357 pages.

"A clear account of the geological formation of mountains and
their various methods of origin in language so clear and untech-
nical that it will not confuse even the most unscientific." —
Boston Evening Transcript,

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ILLIirOIS OIRL. A PRAIRIE WIHTSR. By an XUinois QilL
16mo. 164 pages.

A record of the processioii of the months from midway in Septem-
ber to midway in May. The observations on Nature are accurate
and sympathetic, and they are interspersed with glimpses of a
charming home life and bits of cheerful philosophy.

I90BRSOLL. WILD HEIOHBORS. OUTDOOR 8TUDIB8 IX
THE UNITED STATES. By Ernest Ingersoll. 12mo.
Illustrated, xii + 301 pages.

Studies and stories of the gray squirreli the puma, the coyote,
the badger, and other burrowers, the porcupine, the skunk, the
woodohuck, and the raccoon.

IHMAH. THE RANCH ON THE OXHIDE. By Heniy Inman.
12mo. Illustrated, zi + 297 pages.

A story of pioneer life m Kansas in the late sixties. Adventures
with wild animals and skirmishes with Indians add interest to the
narrative.

JOHNSON. CERVANTES' DON QUIXOTE. Edited by Clifton
Johnson. 12mo. Illustrated, xxiii + 398 pages.

A well-edited edition of this classic. The one effort has been to
bring the book to readable proportions without excluding any really
essential incident or detail, and at the same time to make the text
unobjectionable and wholesome.

JUDSON. THE OROWTH OF THE AMERICAN NATION. By

Harry Pratt Judson. 12mo. Illustrations and maps.
xi+359 pages.

The cardinal facts of American History are grasped in such a
way as to show clearly the orderly development of national life.

KEART. THE HEROES OP ASOARD: TALES FROM SCANDI-
NAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. By A. and E. Keary. 12mo.
Illustrated. 323 pages.

The book is divided into nine chapters, caUed "The iBsir,"
"How Thor went to Jotunheim," "Frey," "The Wanderings of
Freyja," "Iduna's Apples," "Baldur," "The Binding of Fenrir,'»
'<The Punishment of Loki/' "RagnarOk."

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KIHO. DE SOTO AHD mS MBH IH TRB LAHD OP FLORIDA.
By Grace King. 12mo. Illustrated, xiv + 326 pages.

A story based upon the Spanish and Portuguese accounts of the
attempted conquest by the armada which sailed under De Soto in
1538 to subdue this country. Miss King gives a most entertain-
ing history of the invaders' struggles and of their final demoralized
rout; while her account of the native tribes is a most attractive
feature of the narrative.

KIH6SLET. MADAM HOW AND LADT WHY: FIRST LSSSOFS
IN EARTH LORE FOR CHILDREN. By Charles Kingsley.
12mo. Illustrated, xviii + 321 pages.

Madam How and Lady Why are two fairies who teach the how
and why of things in nature. There are chapters on Earthquakes,
Volcanoes, Coral Reefs, Glaciers, etc., told in an interesting man-
ner. The book is intended to lead children to use their eyes and
ears.

KINOSLET. THE WATER BABIES: A FAIRT TALE FOR A
LAND BABT. By Charles Kingsley. 12mo. Blustrated.
330 pages.

One of the best children's stories ever written; it has deservedly
become a classic.

LAN6E. OUR NATIVE BIRDS: HOW TO PROTECT THEM
AND ATTRACT THEM TO OXJR HOMES. By D. Lange.
12mo. Illustrated, x + 162 pages.

A strong plea for the protection of birds. Methods and devices
for their encouragement are given, also a bibliography of helpful
literature, and material for Bird Day.

LOVELL. STORIES IN STONE FROM THE ROMAN FORUM.

By Isabel Lovell. 12mo. Illustrated, viii + 258 pages.

The eight stories in this volume give many facts that travelers
wish to know, that historical readers seek, and that young students
enjoy. The book puts the reader in close touch with Roman life.

McFARLAND. GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE TREES.
By J. Horace McFarland. 8vo. Illustrated, xi + 241 pages.

A charmingly written series of tree essays. They are not
scientific but popular, and are the outcome of the author's desire
that others should share the rest and comfort that have come to
him through acquaintance with trees.

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MAJOR. THB BEARS OP BLUE RIVER. By Charles Major.
12mo. Illustrated. 277 pages.

A collection of good bear stories with a live boy for the hero.
The scene is laid in the early days of Indiana.

MARSHALL. WINIFRED'S JOURNAL. By Emma Marshall.
12mo. Illustrated. 353 pages.

A story of the time of Charles the First. Some of the characters
are historical personages.

MEANS. PALMETTO STORIES. By Celina £. Means. 12mo.
Illustrated, x + 244 pages.

True accounts of some of the men and women who made the
history of South Carolina, and correct pictures of the conditions
under which these men and women labored.

MORRIS. MAN AND HIS ANCESTOR: A STXJDT IN EVOLU-
TION. By Charles Morris. 16mo. Illustrated, vii + 238
pages.

A popular presentation of the subject of man's origin. The
various signiiicant facts that have been discovered since Darwin's
time are given, as well as certain lines of evidence never before
presented in this connection.

NEWBOLT. STORIES FROM PROISSART. By Henry Newbolt.
12mo. Illustrated, xxxi + 368 pages.

Here are given entire thirteen episodes from the "Chronicles"
of Sir John Froissart. The text is modernized sufficiently to make
it intelligible to young readers. Separated narratives are dove-
tailed, and new translations have been made where necessary to
make the narrative complete and easily readable.

OVERTON. THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER. By Gwendolen
Overton. 12mo. Illustrated, vii + 270 pages.

A story of girl life at an army post on the frontier. The plot is
an absorbing one, and the interest of the reader is held to the end.

PALORAVE. THE CHILDREN'S TREASURY OF ENOLISH
SONG. Selected and arranged by Francis Turner Palgrave.
16mo. viii + 302 pages.

This collection contains 168 selections — songs, narratives^
descriptive or reflective pieces of a lyrical quality, all suited to the
taste and understanding of children.

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PAIMSR. 8T0RISS FROM THB CLASSICAL LITBRATURB
OP MAHT NATIONS. Edited by Bertha Palmer. 12mo.
xy+297 pages.

A collection of sixty characteristic stories from Chinese, Japa-
nese, Hebrew, Babylonian, Arabian, Hindu, Greek, Roman,
German, Scandinavian, Celtic, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Anglo-Saxon, English, Finnish, and American Indian
sources.

RUS. CHILDREN OP THE TENEMENTS. By Jacob A. Riis.
12mo. Illustrated, ix + 387 pages.

Forty sketches and short stories dealing with the lights and
shadows of life in the slums of New York City, told just as they
came to the writer, fresh from the life of the people.

SANDYS. TRAPPER JIM. By Edwyn Sandys. 12mo. Illus-
trated. ix + 441 pages.

A book which will delight every normal boy. Jim is a city lad
who learns from an older cousin all the lore of outdoor life —
trapping, shooting, fishing, camping, swimming, and canoeing.
The author is a well-known writer on outdoor subjects.

SEXTON. STORIES OP CALIFORNIA. By Ella M. Sexton.
12mo. Illustrated, x + 211 pages.

Twenty-two stories illustrating the early conditions and the
romantic history of California and the subsequent development
of the state.

SHARP. THE YOXJNOBST GIRL IN THE SCHOOL. By Evelyn
Sharp. 12mo. Illustrated, ix + 326 pages.

Bab, the " youngest girl," was only eleven and the pet of five
brothers. Her ups and downs in a strange boarding school make
an interesting story.

SPARKS. THE MEN WHO MADE THE NATION: AN OUTLINE
OF UNITED STATES HISTORY FROM 1776 TO 1881. By
Edwin E. Sparks. 12mo. Illustrated, viii + 415 pages.

The author has chosen to tell our history by selecting the one
man at various periods of our affairs who was master of the situ-
ation and about whom events naturally grouped themselves.
The characters thus selected number twelve, as "Samuel Adams,
the man of the town meeting" ; "Robert Morris, the financier of
the Revolution"; "HamOton, the advocate of stronger govem«
ment/' etc., etc.

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TEACHER. TRB U8TSHI90 CHILD. A selection from the
stories of Enfldish verse, made for the youngest readers and
hearers. By Lucy W. Thacher. 12mo. xxz + 408 pages.

Under this title are gathered two hundred and fifty selections.
The arrangement is most intelligent, as shown in the proportions
assigned to different authors and periods. Much prominence is
given to purely imaginative writers. The preliminary essay, "A
Short Talk to Children about Poetry," is full of suggestion.

WALLACE. XJFCLE HEFRT'S LETTERS TO THE FARM
EOT. By Heniy Wallace. 16mo. ix + 180 pages.

Eighteen letters on habits, education, business, recreation, and
kindred subjects.

WEED. LIFE HISTORIES OF AMERICAN INSECTS. By

Clarence Moores Weed. 12mo. Illustrated, xii + 272 pages.

In these pages are described by an enthusiastic student of
entomology such changes as may often be seen in an insect's
form, and* which mark the progress of its life. He shows how very
wide a field of interesting facts is within reach of any one who has
the patience to collect these little creatines.

WELLS. THE JINGLE BOOK. By Carolyn Wells. 12mo.
Illustrated, viii + 124 pages.

A collection of fifty delightful jingles and nonsense verses. The
illustrations by Oliver Herford do justice to the text.

WILSON. DOMESTIC SCIENCE IN GRAMMAR GRADES. A
Reader. By Lucy L. W. Wilson. 12mo. ix + 193 pages.

Descriptions of homes and household customs of all ages and
countries, studies of materials and industries, glimpses of the
homes of Uteratuie, and articles on various household subjects.

WILSON. HISTORY READER FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
By Lucy L. W. Wilson. 16mo. Illustrated, xvii + 403
pages.

Stories grouped about the greatest men and the most striking
events in our coimtry's history. The readings run l^ months,
beginning with September.

WILSON. PICTURE STUDY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. By
Lucy L. W. Wilson. 12mo. Illustrated.

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Ninety half-tone reproductions from celebrated paintings both
old and modem, accompanied by appropriate readings from the
poets. All schools of art are represented.

WRIGHT. HEART OF 9ATURE. By Mabel Oagood Wright.
12mo. Illustrated.

This volume comprises "Stories of Plants and Animals/'
"Stories of Earth and Sky/' and "Stories of Birds and Beasts,"
usually published in three volumes and known as "The Heart of
Nature Series." It is a delightful combination of stoiy and
nature study, the author's name being a sufficient warrant for its
interest and fidelity to natiure.

WRIGHT. FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS AND THEIR KIH. By
Mabel Owood Wright, edited by Frank Chapman. 12mo.
Illustrated, xv + 432 pages.

An animal book in story form. The scene shifts from farm to
woods, and back to an old room, fitted as a sort of winter camp,
where vivid stories of the birds and beasts which caimot be seen
at home are told by the campfire, — the sailor who has hunted the
sea, the woodman, the mining engineer, and wandering scientist,
each taking his turn. A useful family tree of North American
Mammals is added.

WRIGHT. D0GT0W9.' By Mabel Osgood Wright. 12mo.
Illustrated, xiii + 405 pages.

"Dogtown" was a neighborhood so named because so many
people loved and kept dogs. For it is a story of people as well as
of dogs, and several of the people as well as the dogs are old f riends^
having been met in Mrs. Wright's other books.

TOFGE. LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE. By Char-
lotte M. Yonge. 12mo. Illustrated, xi + 140 pages.

An interesting and ingenious introduction to geography. In
her dreams Lucy visits the children of various lands and thus
learns much of the habits and customs of these countries.

YOHGE. UHKHOWH TO HISTORY. By Charlotte M. Yonge.
12mo. Illustrated, zi + 589 pages.

A story of the captivity of Mary Queen of Scots, told in tha
author's best vein.

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